


Sacrifices Were Made

by orphan_account



Series: Sacrifices [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Character Death, Experiments, F/M, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Irondad, Kidnapping, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-05-28 05:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter was finally safe. He was better, he was happy. Him and his family were happy together. But of course someone has to fuck it up for him and drag the one person he never wants to see hurt get hurt because of him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I said there would be a sequel and whattya know? SEQUEL!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said there would be a sequel and so here it is: A SEQUEL.

Things were pretty fucking great. Peter was finally okay, he had a girlfriend, he was back at school, and maybe most importantly... he had a dad. 

Tony Stark.

Who would have fucking thought?

Certainly not Peter.

But, Tony was his dad. And Peter was finally fucking happy. 

But the universe must hate Peter Parker because the universe won’t fucking let Peter Parker be happy.

Fuck the universe. God fucking damn the universe.

Why couldn’t Peter be happy?

**

It started with a phone call.

”H-hey, Tony? I-I need help.”

”Peter? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

”I-I’m fine, I think. Just... can you come to the hospital?”

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the people who thought I would kill off May: this chapter is for you:)  
> Warning: gunshot wound, sedatives

Peter slung an arm around MJ, laughing. Ned shook his head at Peter and said, "If you two were any cuter, the universe would freaking implode." MJ turned her face away from her to look Ned with a fake hurt look on her face.

"It hasn't already?"

"Nope."

"Well, shit. Peter, we should fix that."

"Mmhmm," Peter said, spinning her around to kiss her.

"Consider the universe imploded," Ned grinned.

"Shut up, Ned," MJ and Peter muttered simultaneously, lips still locked. 

**

"Mr. Parker! Hello and welcome to my humble home!" Tony announced with a mock bow.

"Shut up, Tony."

"Hey now, is that anyway to speak to your father?"

"If the father is Tony Stark? Hell yeah."

"Language, you little shit," Tony grinned then rubbed his knuckles against Peter's head.

Peter grinned back and then pushed Tony off him.

"So whattya wanna do today? Make upgrades to the suit? Ooh, or we can prank Clint again if you want to do something funnier."

"Prank Clint, but Tony, I need to tell you something," Peter said seriously.

"What's up, kiddie?" Tony asked, eyes clouding over with worry.

"First one in to the Tower wins!"

"You little fucker!" Tony yelled after the running teen.

**

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Tony whined, pulling Peter closer to him on the couch. Peter snuggled in to Tony's side, pressing his face into his father's chest.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Besides, I promised May I would do the dishes."

"Do the dishes tomorrow," Tony grunted.

"Tony. I promised her I would do this dishes two days ago."

"Oh shit. You're screwed." 

As if on cue, Peter's phone rang.

"Hi, May."

"Peter Benjamin Parker, I see dishes that have not been done. You better get your ass back here."

"Love you too, May."

"Put your father on the phone."

Peter shot Tony a worried look then whispered, "Tread carefully. May wants to talk to you." Tony laughed and took the phone from Peter after ruffling his hair. In his most innocent, shit eating voice he said, "Hiiiiii May. How are you?"

"Bring our kid back Stark. If you get him here quickly I'll let you have shawarma with us."

And boy, was Tony Stark a sucker for free shawarma.

**

"Bye, Tony," Peter hugged his father.

"Bye kiddo. Bye, May!"

"Leave!" bellowed May. Peter snickered than hugged his father harder.

"You'll be back tomorrow," reminded Tony.

"Shut up."

Tony laughed then pressed his face into Peter's curls.

"Love you."

"I know."

"Quoting _Star Wars_?"

"Quoting _Star Wars_ ," confirmed Peter.

**

Peter snuggled next to May, pressing his face into her stomach. May turned her head to smile at her kid, running her fingers through his hair.

"Hey, May?" came Peter's muffled voice.

"Yeah, Pete?"

"I love you."

"Me too, Peter. Me too."

And so, the teenager fell asleep in his aunt's arms, snoring contentedly. May shook her head and continued running her fingers through her son's hair, smiling when he leaned into the touch. Being careful not to wake Peter up, she took a picture and sent it to Tony.

_May Parker: Does he do this to you too?_

_Tony Stark: Yeah. It's cute. He's cute._

_May Parker: That he is._

_Tony Stark: He can still come over tomorrow right?_

_May Parker: I don't know, maybe I'll assign laundry duty._

_Tony Stark: You wouldn't dare._

_May Parker: Kidding. He's all yours, Stark._

_Tony Stark: He can spend the night?_

_May Parker: Yeah. I have some late night shifts and I don't want him to be alone. He may come a little later though, I think he's going on a date._

_Tony Stark: When he comes, I'm giving him The Talk._

_May Parker: Oh God, Tony._

_Tony Stark: Well, are you going to do it?_

_May Parker: No way in hell._

_Tony Stark: Exactly._

_May Parker: Go to sleep._

_Tony Stark: Yes, Ma'am._

**

May is awoken abruptly by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She groaned and went to open it.

"Is this the Parker residence?" Two men, decked out in black asked.

May is suddenly awake. She narrows her eyes and says, "Yes... why?"

"Is Peter Parker here?"

"Why?"

"Wonderful." 

Without warning they shove May to the ground and more men rush into the room, two keeping May down.

"What the hell?!" May yelled, squirming on the ground. The men pay no attention to her, their focus entirely on finding Peter. It doesn't take long before Peter's being dragged out, yelling.

 "Mr. Parker. Ms. Parker. We are here to inform you that Peter Parker must be taken into custody of the US government."

"What the hell?" Peter demanded.

"What the fuck?" May snarled.

"Secretary Ross needs to have a... discussion with the boy."

Without further ado, they hoisted Peter up, and that's when he sprung into action. He kneed the guard in the crotch, and then quickly took out the rest before going to May.

"May, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What about you, are you okay?"

"Don't worry, I-," but before he could finish there's a gunshot. Peter looks at May with horror, watching blood sweep through her abdomen.

"May!"

May collapses to the ground, hands clutching the wound.

"Now, Mr. Parker come along before we have to harm the woman further." one of the guards stands up, gun trained on Peter. Peter pays no attention and holds May in his arms.

"May. May, I'm here." Peter whispers clutching his aunt tightly.

"Now, Mr. Parker!" the guard yells impatiently. The guard's yelling snaps Peter out of his trance and he snaps his head up to look at the guard, a low growl in his throat.

"Fuck. Off."

The guard sighs and then reaims the gun at May,

"You're going to come with us or May Parker will pay for your mistakes."

"N-no. P'ter." May slurs weakly, clutching Peter's hand. Peter looks at her with worry, eyebrows creasing. Then he turns to look at the guard once more.

"I'll go, but only if I can personally take May to the hospital and call Tony."

The guard lets out a low growl in his throat before snarling, "You may not tell Tony Stark anything about your current situation, only about May Parker. Understood?"

Peter sighs, but he nods in agreement. He picks May up carefully then starts to walk out the door, guard trailing right behind him. The guard leads Peter into a van parked outside, where he proceeds to drive to Queens County Hospital. Inside the van are 5 more men.

"Hey, May. You're gonna be okay, the doctors are gonna fix you," whispered Peter, cupping May's face gently.

"N-no. P'ter. You c-can't go w'th th'm."

Peter smiles sadly but replies, "I have to. I can't let you die."

**

When they finally arrive at the hospital, Peter runs inside, yelling, "My aunt's been shot! Somebody please, help her!"

A surge of doctors stream out the doors, ripping May out of his arms and hoisting her onto a gurney. Peter runs a hand down his face in worry then calls Tony.

"H-hey, Tony? I-I need help."

"Pete? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, I think. Just... can you come to the hospital?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, kiddo, I'm on my way. Just hang tight." Tony hangs up and Peter walks back outside.

"Is Tony Stark on his way?" one of the men demanded.

"What's it to you?" Peter growled. The man slapped Peter on the face before repeating, "Is Tony Stark on the way?"

"Yes," Peter snarled, holding his throbbing cheek.

"Okay," the man suddenly surged towards Peter, stabbing him with a needle. Peter grunted then swayed.

"What the fuck?" he asked before slumping towards the ground. The man caught him, then dragged Peter back into the van where he attached thick metal cuffs onto Peter's wrists.

Peter let out a small groan and squirmed before passing out.

"Now, we wait for Tony Stark." the man smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's confused: No, May isn't dead. She's in the hospital and they're gonna save her. You'll see more in the following chapters.  
> *Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Leave a comment. They really help:)*


	3. Chapter 2

Tony Stark has never driven faster in his whole damn life. As soon as Peter's call came in, he was already in the car. Needless to say, he broke the speed limit. He could really care less-  _fuck the goddamn tickets, I got to get to my kid._

FRIDAY, bless that wonderful AI, had sent him Peter's coordinates and he was racing to get to the hospital where Peter was. Peter had said he was fine, but Peter also lied a lot. His voice was shaky and strained on the phone and-

Tony clenched his eyes shut briefly. 

 _Peter's okay_ , he assured himself.  _He's fine._

_He's fine_

**

Peter Parker was not fine. He was in the back of a van with creepy men in black, drugged, and restrained. He dimly realized that the man was trying to get to Tony but he was so  _tired._ Everything was fuzzy. Peter blinked sluggishly, trying to stay awake, but the drugs were to strong. His eyes slipped shut and he slipped into the darkness.

_Please be okay, Tony._

**

Tony arrived in record time, parking his car and then rushing out and running to get to his kid, but he didn't get far.

"Tony Stark."

Tony spun around, trying to locate the voice.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, looking around.

"We need you to come with us."

"Yeah, no. I'll let you know my answer in seven to never business days," he called out.

The next voice made Tony stop in his tracks.

"We have Peter Parker."

"Well, I am a selfish man. He's mine. Give him the hell back."

"You will come with us if you wish to see your child again."

Tony didn't know who the hell these creepy voices belonged to, but they had Peter. They had his son, and goddamn it if he can't get him back.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

Tony cracked his knuckles and said, "FRIDAY?"

"Already on it sir," FRIDAY replied, scanning the lot for heat signatures. Before she could send the results to Tony, a man came and kicked Tony in the side before ripping his watch off his wrist and smashing it, effectively ruining his connection to FRIDAY.

"Okay. I'll go," Tony gasped, breathing through the pain of the kick.

"Excellent."

Men poured out of the shadows, surrounding Tony, guns trained on his head. They gripped his arms tightly and started dragging him to a van in the far corner of the lot. They tossed him in, and then slammed the door shut. Tony blinked, turning his head to look at his surroundings before training his eyes on a body lying in front of him.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

Tony rushed to his son, scooping him up in his arms. Peter's head lolled against his chest sluggishly, eyes closed. Tony shook his son's shoulder, trying to wake him up, heart pounding. Peter didn't respond.

"Okay, kiddo. I'll be here when you wake up," he promised, running his thumb on Peter's top lip, eyebrows furrowing in worry. He sighed softly, and moved his hands to Peter's hair, running his hand through the matted curls.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_Please be okay._

**

The van lurched to a sudden stop. The doors opened, and the men yanked Peter out of Tony's arms.

"No, dammit! Give me my son!" Tony yelled, thrashing against the men holding him back. Of course, no one listened to him, and he watched his son being carried away.

"Let me go! Bring Peter back!" he demanded, punching the men who were holding him back.

"See, we can't do that, Stark. He is very valuable you see, we'll be keeping him for a while."

Tony froze, because he knows that voice. He's been putting that voice on hold for a very long time.

_Ross_

"What the hell, Ross?" Tony yelled.

Ross smirked at Tony, shrugged, and replied, "I got tired of being on hold."

"You bastard," Tony snarled, "Let me and my kid go."

"As I've already said, we can't let the boy go. His body holds secrets, Stark. And we will unlock them all. As for you... well. Consider this your punishment for defying me," Ross smiled evilly. 

"Ross-," Tony started but Ross cut him off.

"Take him away."

The men pushed Tony to his feet and then dragged him away, screaming and yelling.

Ross stared after them with a small smile.

"Hell's coming for you, Anthony. Hell's coming."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short. Don't kill me, I have things going on rn, but I wanted to get this up:)  
> *Leave a comment or kudos? They make my day:)*


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a hot minute since I uploaded. But to be fair, the third season of Supergirl came out on Netflix and I had a little marathon. But here's the chapter now:)  
> Warning: human experimentation

The hours passed by.

Minute by minute.

Second by second.

Inhale.

_PeterPeterPeterPeter_

Exhale.

_PeterPeterPeterPeter_

Silence is loud. Silence is booming, silence is deafening. 

Tony Stark sits in the cell he was roughly pushed into in silence.

And somewhere, away from his father, Peter Parker lies silent on a table, covered in blood, scalpels, and needles surrounding him. But it is silent. 

The silence stretches around both father and son, booming, deafening.

**

Peter wonders what it would be like to not be in pain. He's gotten so accustomed to it, so used to living in pain. While he's awake, there is nothing but pain, bright lights, and the smell of blood. There is nothing but doctors, and Secretary Ross standing in the back, looking at him with curiosity.

But when he isn't awake he dreams of a fantasy world, a world where May is snuggled on his dusty, run-down couch, Tony's fingers running through his hair. That world is so far away, but Peter holds onto it. He can imagine it so vividly. He longs for it, that euphoric world. He closes his eyes shut and imagines the feel of Tony's rough fingers lightly touching his scalp, imagines the sound of May's breathing. 

When he wakes up, the world disappears like the embers of fire once it's extinguished. When Peter Parker wakes up, he is strapped onto a table. When Peter Parker wakes up he is nothing more than a science experiment. Nothing more than something to be prodded and poked at, nothing more than a subject to cut into.

He cries on the inside. He won't let another evil man see him cry. Damian Toomes had wiped out every instinct to make Peter cry. So he locks his pain and tears away, deep inside him. He waits until the doctors and Secretary Ross leaves, wait until the lights shut off, enclosing him in the crushing darkness.

He breaks down alone. He lets out his fears, his pain, his tears in the darkness, alone.

When he falls asleep, he welcomes his fantasy world with open arms. He embraces May, embraces Tony, and they watch  _Star Wars_ together, eating Thai while Tony complains about watching shawarma.

It becomes a routine. The doctors enter, cut into him, take samples, perform their experiments and Peter lays on the cool, unforgiving table in agony, biting his lower lip to stop himself from crying out. Then he lies in the darkness and let the sobs wrack his body. He falls asleep and dreams of the fantasy world.

And somewhere, a small, whole piece of Peter believes that the fantasy world would become his. It's small, but it's there. Peter hangs onto the little piece of hope like it's a lifeline, and in a way it is. The small piece of hope flutters in his chest, reminding him that it's there. 

**

Tony reflects his time as a father with Peter. He remembers when he first rescued Peter from Damian Toomes, how he clutched onto him. Tony remembers Peter's painfilled eyes, how thin and frail his son was in his arms. Tony remembers threading his fingers into Peter's hair, smoothing the sweaty curls away from his bloody face. He remembers how he stayed with Peter while he slept, watching his chest rise and fall softly as if assuring Tony his son was still alive. When Peter first opened his eyes, Tony remembers how his small, frail hand latched onto Tony's own.

Tony remembers Peter's recovery. He remembers escorting him to the therapist, remembers holding back tears while Susan told him that his kid was suicidal. He remembers how he slept with Peter every night, comforting him when he had nightmares. He remembers Peter's first night on an antidepressant drug, how his son had clutched on to him and made him promise that he wouldn't leave him. He remembers finding Peter on top of his roof, on the very edge, and sitting down next to him, slinging an arm across Peter's shoulders. 

Tony remembers the times he ate with Peter and May, laughing over baby pictures of Peter, stuffing himself full with shawarma. He remembers smiling when Peter suggests watching  _The Empire Strikes Back_ for the fiftieth time while saying, "Aren't you tired of this movie yet?". He remembers laughing when Peter responded, "This movie is eternal and iconic. I will never be tired of this movie," seriously. He remembers May's exasperated sigh before looking at Tony with a small smile.

Tony remembers the first time Peter called him dad. How Peter had stayed at the compound, giggling with Clint as they snuck up on Tony and scared the living shit out of him. When Peter finally fell asleep in Tony's arms after watching  _A New Hope_ , and Tony carried him up to his room, laying him down on the bed gently, giving a small kiss to his forehead. A small, sleepy voice had muttered, "Love you, Dad."

Tony also wonders if the Peter he'll find would be like post-Toomes Peter. His heart clenches painfully at the thought, at the idea of Peter's pain filled eyes, at the bruises and blood he would be covered in. 

But Tony Stark is not an idiot. He was a genius, and he was already mapping out how he would take care of Peter once he got him back.

Tony waited for Ross to give him back his son. He was never a patient man, but for Peter, he would wait for an eternity. So he sat in his cell, stared at the blank wall and waited.

He waited for a total of fourteen days.

On the fifteenth day, the cell door swung open and Peter was roughly thrown in.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

**

Peter hears Ross asking coldly, "Have all the tests been conducted?" and the little piece of hope in his chest exploded, spread its wings, and flew all around Peter's ribcage. Peter feels the familiar feeling of a needle pinching his neck, and feeling his body go limp. His eyes slid shut, and his breathing slowed. He felt himself being lifted up and dragged down a dim hallway before passing out completely.

He doesn't dream of the fantasy. His subconscious was convinced that he was going home, so it decided to play something else for Peter. All the emotion he had bottled up inside poured out of him, and he relived everything. The only difference was that this time, he screamed.

_Ross stood in the corner, arms folded, watching the experiment play out before him. He made sure the camera was recording, before giving a brief nod to the doctor, gesturing him to continue the procedure._

_Peter closed his eyes tightly as the doctors made their first cut, feeling the blood run down his back. His teeth found their place on his bottom lip, biting it harshly. The doctors widened the incision, and Peter couldn't hold back a moan of pain. Ross just rolled his eyes and flapped his hand for the doctors to continue. One of the doctors loomed over Peter, prepping a syringe. The syringe plunged into his body, extracting his spinal fluid. Peter couldn't control it this time, he screamed, tears of pain falling down his cheeks._

_The doctors and Ross didn't pay him any attention, just continued their experiments while Peter screamed and cried._

**

Tony immediately went to Peter, scooping the unconscious boy in his arms. He clutched his son's head close to his chest, letting out a shaky breath and running his fingers through Peter's dirty hair. He considered waking the boy up, but if he did... Peter would be in so much pain. And as much as Tony wanted to see his son awake, breathing,  _living_ , he couldn't be the one to put Peter in pain. So Tony held his son in his arms and waited for Peter to wake up.

Because Tony Stark would wait an eternity for Peter Parker. He would wait an eternity for his son.

**

Tony eventually stood up, still holding Peter in his arms, and laid down the kid onto the small, stiff mattress, taking care to adjust Peter's limp limbs so that he would be comfortable. When Peter was situated, he took a seat next to Peter's head and put his son's head on his lap, rubbing a finger against Peter's temple, then taking its normal position in Peter's hair.

Peter woke up two hours later, blinking sluggishly. Tony looked down at him with a small smile before whispering, "Hi, kiddo."

 But Peter shook his head before sinking his head back into Tony's lap.

"I wan' my dad. Wan' Tony. And May."

"I'll take you home to May as soon as I can, okay kiddie? But right now, you have me," Tony murmured.

Peter's eyes drooped, but Tony shook him gently.

"Let's wait until you're somewhat coherent. Then you can sleep all you want. Do you know who I am?"

Peter's eyebrows creased together before mumbling, "T'ny?"

Tony let out a breathy laugh before responding.

"Yeah, Pete. It's Tony."

"Hurts."

Tony's heart clenched painfully. "I know, kiddo. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Peter mumbled against Tony's thigh. "Can I sleep?"

Tony smiled sadly then said, "Yeah kiddo. You can sleep."

"T'ny?"

"Yeah, Pete?"

"Love you."

Tony wonders what he has ever done in his life to deserve this kid.

"Love you, too. Sleep, Peter. I'll be here when you wake up."

Tony doesn't know what he did. But he's damn glad that he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *thoughts, comments, or suggestions? Leave a comment, I love to hear what you guys think:)*


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sensory overload, torture

Despite the myriad of bruises, cuts, and blood Peter was covered in, Tony couldn't help but feel relieved. Yes, their situation sucked ass, but Peter was in Tony's arms. Not safe, but he was there with him. Tony placed his hand on Peter's chest, right over his heart, feeling the soft rise and fall, ensuring Tony that Peter was alive, Peter was breathing, Peter was  _there._ Tony clutched his son closer to his chest, nestling his face into Peter's hair. 

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

Peter shifted in his sleep, letting out a small moan of pain. Tony immediately moved his hand from his son's chest to his hair, running his fingers through it, whispering, "It's alright. I got you. I got you, kiddo." Peter shifted once more before nuzzling his face more securely into his father's stomach. Tony kept running his fingers into the sleeping boy's hair, twisting his finger gently around a curl near Peter's temple.

For the millionth time since he gathered his son into his arms, he prayed that Peter would be okay. He ran his fingers down Peter's face lightly, tracing his features. Memorizing them, assuring himself that Peter was there. 

Peter looked so much younger when he slept. Granted, he was young, only fucking fifteen, but when he slept, he looked like a little child, nestled into his father's lap, napping contentedly. His face was calm, no worried crease between his eyebrows, no outline of the lines of pain that were there when he was awake.

Some part of Tony wished that Peter would stay asleep, away from the horrors of reality, away from Ross, away from this whole goddamn shit situation they were in.

But...

The majority of Tony screamed and pleaded for Peter to wake up. Peter was what was keeping Tony sane, keeping him tethered to reality. Tony longed to see Peter's eyes open, to see the beautiful, deep, thoughtful brown eyes that kept Tony in one piece.

Tony was determined to wait as long as necessary to see his son awake again.  So he made sure that Peter was secure in his arms, and he leaned his head back onto the wall and closed his eyes, finally letting the exhaustion take him into the world of unconsciousness. 

**

Peter blinked his eyes open slowly, trying to make sense of his blurry outlines. He moved his hand to rub his eyes but stopped when he felt a pair of arms tighten around him. He looked up dazedly to see Tony sleeping. Despite his situation, he smiled seeing his father sleeping peacefully. He carefully sat up, making sure not to wake Tony up. When he was upright, he wrapped his arms around Tony and put his head on his shoulder, feeling a rush of happiness when Tony leaned into the touch. Peter wrapped his fingers around Tony's hand.

Peter's head hurt like a bitch and his whole body ached, but he felt a rush of tranquility, sitting next to Tony peacefully, head on his shoulder.

Now, he just needed for Tony to wake up and get the hell out of here. The latter might not happen, he wasn't stupid. But he was glad May was safe, far away from-

Peter froze and felt a rush of fear. 

_Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit_

What if May wasn't alive? What if the doctors couldn't save her, what if-

No. 

Peter shook his head, forcing the thought out of his head.

May was alive.

Peter repeated the chant in his mind until he was certain.

It was fine.

_May's alive. She's fine and she's alive and she's safe._

Peter let out a shaky breath.

If he was going to die out here, in this dingy little cell, he was glad he got to spend his last moments with Tony. He was glad that May was away from all this.  

Sure, he missed her. The child in him wanted to be held by her, in their little apartment before everything went to shit. 

Sure, he wished that Tony was away from this too, he wanted Tony to be safe. But... he was glad that Tony was here. This time he had someone who cared about him with him, someone to hold him through everything.

He tightened his grip on Tony and waited for him to wake up.

**

When Tony finally woke up, Peter turned his head to the side to look at his dad.

"Hi," he said quietly.

Tony immediately pulled Peter closer, pulling his face into his chest. Peter could feel Tony's chest rising and falling, could hear the steady beat of his heart. Peter exhaled shakily and, impossibly, pulled himself closer to his father, breathing in the smell of him. Tony seemed to understand,  _he always understands_ , and ran his hand down the nape of Peter's neck, tucking Peter's face into his shoulder. 

For a while, both father and son sat quietly, breathing together, taking comfort in each other's presence.

Then Peter's shoulders started shaking, his chest heaving, tears finally escaping. Tony gently pulled Peter into his chest once again, rubbing comforting circles down Peter's back and murmuring, "It's okay. I got you. I got you."

Peter let out a sob and curled his fingers into Tony's shirt, tears streaming down his face.

"I can't, I-I c-can't do thi-this anymore. I d-don't want to. Not again," he cried, wetting the front of Tony's shirt.

Tony pushed back his own fears and anxiety and threaded his fingers through Peter's hair, holding him tightly. "I know, bud. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Peter kept sobbing, his small form shaking in Tony's arms.

Tony held his sobbing son in his arms, rubbing his back. When Peter's breathing finally slowed down, Tony held Peter's face in his hands and said gently, "It's okay."

_It's okay to cry_

_It's okay that you need me_

_It's okay if you can't handle it; I'm here to help_

_It's okay if you want me_

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_**You** are okay  
_

"I love you, Peter. And it's okay. Okay?"

"Okay."

 _Okay,_ Tony thinks, _okay is a beautiful word._

**

Peter jumped and grabbed Tony's shirt when he heard the footsteps- damn enhanced hearing-, whispering, "He's coming. He's coming Tony." Tony tightened his grip on Peter and ran his thumb over his upper lip.

"You're going to be okay," he promised. "He's not taking you away from me again."

"Tony-,"

"Shhh. You're going to be fine. You're staying with me, kid."

Peter inhaled sharply before saying, "I love you, dad."

If Ross was taking Peter away from Tony, he wanted those to be his last words to Tony.

"Me too, son. I love you too, Peter."

Ross wasn't going to take Peter away from Tony.

But he might take Tony away from Peter.

Or...

Or he might hurt them both.

**

"Goddamn it! God fucking damn it all!"

"Rhodey-,"

"No! It's been over two weeks! Two whole fucking weeks! And Peter, he's fucking Spiderman, they could be cutting him open, Tony could be hurt because he's a fucking idiot and when we fucking get them back- damn it, they should already be back- I have to break it to the kid that his fucking aunt is fucking dead!"

Queens County Hospital had officially declared May Parker dead at 3:45 AM due to head trauma, blood loss, and respiratory failure. 

"Rhodey. We're going to get them back," Steve said calmly.

"You don't fucking know that, Steve! You don't!"

"You're right. But I know us. I know our team. And there's no way in hell our team is going to be leaving Peter and Tony there."

Rhodey sank back into the couch with a sigh, dropping his face into his hands.

"I'm sorry. But you remember how Tony was when we rescued Peter from Toomes. He wouldn't leave the kid, and when he was released from the hospital, he would always be touching him, hugging him. Tony hates contact, Steve. I can count the number of times I've hugged Tony on one hand. If Peter doesn't come back from this, Tony doesn't come back from this. I can't lose my best friend or his son. I can't. They're my family."

"We don't leave behind family, Rhodey. We're going to get them back."

"I hope so. I really fucking hope so."

Steve went to sit next to the man, placing a comforting hand on his arm before standing up and leaving. He walked into the conference room rubbing his face in his hands.

"Do we have anything yet?" Steve asked.

"Wanda will be arriving in a few hours," Natasha replied

"Okay. It's a start. Any word from Clint?"

"Nothing yet. Then again, he lives in the asshat middle of nowhere so it might just take time for him to receive the message."

Steve sighed then turned to look at Natasha.

"Thanks, Nat."

"Steve. We might not get them back."

Steve looked at the ground before whispering, "I know."

**

"Stark."

Tony didn't reply, just glared daggers at the man in front of him, clutching Peter tightly.

"We have performed everything we needed to on the boy. He's just collateral now."

Peter turned his face away from Ross, pressing it into Tony's left shoulder.

"My son is not collateral," growled Tony. "Don't ever talk about my kid again."

Ross flapped his hand and immediately guards rushed into the cell, ripping Peter away from Tony. He let out a small groan as the sudden movement made his whole body shook, still sore from everything that had been done to him.

"Peter!" Tony yelled, thrashing against the guards holding him back.

"Now, Stark. This is what's going to happen. Mister Parker," Ross crossed the cell to grip Peter's chin, "will pay for your mistakes, your crimes. Your punishment will be to watch your son suffer, to not be able to do anything."

"Ross, you bastard! He's a fucking minor!"

"No. He is an enhanced individual who has been parading around Queens without any care about the law." Ross let go of Peter's chin. "Bring it in," he commanded. Two guards came in bringing in a large chair. Peter was roughly forced onto it then restrained.

"Ross-,"

"No, Stark. You think I didn't know? You think that when Rogers broke the Rogues out of here I didn't know that you shut down all the security systems? And the Accords changed, the Rogues were pardoned. I know that it was you're doing. I knew when you went to go to talk to the fucking president you convinced him to change everything. I just wanted to keep the world safe, I supported you. Then all the shit happened, and it was your fucking fault. And this? This is your fault too."

Ross nodded at one of the guards, and he stepped forward, holding what looked like a pair of glasses with cords dangling down its frames. Another guard stepped forward and gripped Peter's head firmly, attaching a leather strap across his forehead, preventing him from moving his head at all. The strange glasses were placed onto Peter's face, the cords entering his ears like earplugs. Peter squirmed, trying to escape but the restraints held him fast. Ross nodded once again, and the guard pressed a small button on the back of the device.

Light flooded into Peter's eyes and a loud, ear piercing scream was played in his ears. For a normal person, they might have been able to handle it. But Peter's senses were enhanced, and he couldn't help but scream.

Tony struggled against the guards even more, yelling out Peter's name. Peter responded with another loud scream, jerking in his chair.

"Ross, turn it off!" Tony pleaded, arms straining. Ross smirked and turned it on higher, making Peter scream louder.

"Ross, please!"

Ross turned up the device even higher, making Peter scream loudly before turning the device. Peter's head dropped to his chest, too tired to hold it up on his own. Ross pulled out a syringe from his pocket and injected it into Peter's neck harshly, causing Tony to yell out, "What the hell is that? What did you just give him?"

"Relax, Stark. It's a serum to make sure he doesn't have any permanent damage," Ross rolled his eyes then smirked.

"Again."

Peter's screams filled the air once more.

**

Ross repeated the process for another hour, then finally taking the cruel device off of Peter's face.

"You should have listened to me, Stark. You should have minded your own fucking business," Ross said coldly before leaving, the guards finally releasing Tony. As soon as his arms were free, he scrambled to Peter, still tied in the chair. Tony lifted Peter's face up gently, running his thumb down the boy's tear-stained cheek.

"T'ny," Peter mumbled. " _T'ny."_

"I'm here, Pete. I'm here. Let's get you out the chair, okay?" Tony quickly undid the restraints, catching Peter when he slumped forward. "I got you, kiddie. I got you."

Peter's head lolled against his chest, all the strength gone. Tony moved Peter so that he was curled up on Tony's lap comfortably, head resting against his shoulder.

"T'ny?" Peter's voice was small and quiet, full of pain. "Are we going to be okay?"

Tony couldn't promise him anything. He couldn't lie to his child. Tony turned his face into Peter's hair then said, "I hope so, buddy. I really do."

Peter leaned into Tony's touch before saying, "Me too."

**

Peter eventually fell asleep, and Tony kept running his fingers down Peter's bare back thinking,

_I'm sorry, Peter. I'm so so sorry. I love you. And I will get you out of this damn place no matter what it takes._

And Tony Stark would. 

He would do whatever it takes to ensure that his child was home, safe and sound, away from every bad thing out there in the world.

No matter what the cost was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor bbys:(  
> I regret nothing.  
> I have an Instagram you guys can follow for updates and when I'll post and all that good shit. Feel free to message me to get off my ass and update quicker or to just talk @quackson_91  
> *leave a comment or kudos? they make my day, and I love hearing what you guys think!*


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: shooting

The hospital was eerily quiet. The only sound was the steady beep of the heart monitor, matching the breaths of May Parker. 

It was a long shot, everyone knew it. May was shot in the abdomen, the bullet lodged in between her liver. It was touch and go for a while, with the patient flatlining often.

But they saved her. May Parker would live, she would breathe, and she would be reunited with her family.

Secretary Ross made sure of it.

The minute May Parker was healed, the men snuck into her hospital room. They injected her with a serum, and off they were, an unconscious May Parker in tow.

Although May was alive, the public didn't know that. Ross found the man who oversaw the procedure and bribed him to contact Colonel Rhodes with the news of May Parker's death. The surgeon ended up walking away with $200,000.

**

Peter woke up with a gasp, nearly hitting Tony in the face.

"Woah, kiddo. You okay?"

Was he okay? 

 _No,_ he decided,  _no, I am one hundred percent completely and utterly fucked._

He didn't tell that to Tony, though. What he did was nod his head and offer a small smile.

Tony didn't buy it. He saw right through him, just like always. He sighed and held Peter closer, pressing his face into Peter's hair. Peter pressed his face into his father's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, reminding him that he was  _right there._

Peter matched his breathing with Tony, their quiet breathing the only sound in the cell. Peter held onto each breath like a lifeline. It made him feel safe, breathing with Tony. It reminded him that he was there with him, that Tony isn't leaving him, that he wasn't alone.

The peaceful tranquility did not last long. 

Ross came barging in, men right behind him. In an instant, Tony had pushed Peter up against a wall, curling an arm against him protectively. Peter shrunk into Tony's back, head pounding.

_Don't let him take me, I wanna stay here with you, don't take me away from him_

Peter breathed heavily, curling his fist around Tony's shirt.

"Relax, Stark. No one will be touching the boy today," Ross said calmly, but his eyes told a different story. His eyes glistened with something Peter could only describe as insanity. Psychotic, evil, insanity.

"Then why the fuck are you here?" Tony snarled, arm tightening against Peter's bare chest.

"Well, you're about to find out aren't you?"

The men surged forward, ripping Peter away from Tony. Peter thrashed in the guards' hold, eyes widening at Tony.

_Nonononononononononono_

_Don't let him take me! I don't want to do it again, I can't, I can't, Icanticaniticanticanticant_

"Peter! Give me my son back, Ross!"

"Calm down, Stark. You'll have him back soon enough."

The men surrounded Tony now too, restraining his arms behind his back tightly. Peter was roughly thrust back to Tony, his arms also restrained. He fell onto Tony's lap roughly, crying out in pain. Tony struggled against his restraints, trying to comfort Peter, the need to protect him overpowering every other emotion.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

"Bring her in."

May Parker, hands restrained just like her son, is thrust into the cell, landing right in front of Peter.

"May!"

But Peter can't reach out to her, can't go to her, can't do anything but look in agony.

May's arms are being held by two guards on each side, holding her tightly in her spot.

"Peter! Oh my god, Peter. Tony, oh my god-,"

"We aren't done, Mister Parker. And you, Stark? I'm not done with you either. This woman, she is Peter's last blood relative. How does it feel to know that you brought her here, to suffer, because of you? You already damned your son, Stark. And now his Aunt? This is your fault. Just like every other fucking thing leading up to this. This, this is on you." Ross leaned over Tony, jabbing a finger harshly into his chest.

"Make sure the boy sees this," Ross commanded. The guards held Peter's head tightly, forcing him to see Ross.

"What the fuck are you doing? Let her go! Please, you can do anything to me, I don't care, but let her go, let her go, please!" Peter begged, small body trembling. 

Ross paid no attention to the teenager, looking Tony straight in the face. 

"Your fault, Stark."

The man pulled out a gun, pressing it right against May's head.

"No!" Peter yelled, thrashing harder than ever.

"Tony, take care of him. Alright? You have to take care of him." May said, eyes welling up with tears.

Peter let out a scream, his arms straining against his restraints and the guards' grip on him.

"Peter, I love you. I love you so much, honey."

"No, May! You're gonna be fine, you're-,"

The gun went off.

"May!" Peter screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "May!"

Tony sat in shock, watching the blood pool around May's limp body.

_My fault. Myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault._

Tony clenched his eyes shut as a tear of his own slipped down his cheek.

"Take the body away," Ross commanded. As the guards dragged the cold corpse of May Parker away, he walked over to Peter. He used his pointer finger to lift up his chin, forcing the boy to look at him.

"Your aunt died because of you and your father. Think about that."

And without another word, Secretary Ross left the cell, leaving behind a sobbing teenage son and his frozen father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really short, I'm sorry. But I wanted to get this up as soon as possible. The next chapter will be longer and will have all the angst all angst lovers have ever dreamed of.  
> *Leave a kudos or comment? They make my day:)*


	7. Chapter 6

 As soon as Ross walked out of the cell, Peter collapsed completely. His body crumpled, folding inward. Tony caught him, his own eyes filled with unshed tears. Peter immediately thrust his face into Tony's chest, curling his fingers tightly around Tony's shirt as his small body racked with sobs.

"She-she w-wasn't supposed to g-go like-like that. I c-couldn't save h-her, I k-killed,  _fuck_ , I k-killed M-may," Peter sobbed into his father's shirt, chest heaving as he tried to suck in a breath.

"No. Peter. Ross killed her. This wasn't your fault, bud. You hear me, kiddo? None of this is your fault."

_It's mine._

"No. Nonononononono. No. She can't, she can't just be gone. How can she just be gone, Tony?"

Tony's heart clenched painfully as he held onto his sobbing child. 

_She's gone because I was stupid, kiddo. She's gone because my arrogant ass just had to piss Ross off. I'm so sorry, Peter. I'm so, so sorry._

Peter inhaled shakily before removing his face from his father's chest. 

Although his eyes were red-rimmed and still filled with tears, the thing that scared Tony the most was the cold, angry look of malice in the teenager's eyes.

"Peter?"

"I'm going to kill that fucker. I am going to tear his head apart, burn it, and send it to the deepest parts of hell. I am going to make sure he dies in the most painful, hurtful way imaginable."

Tony stared at Peter in shock before tucking the boy back into his chest, pressing his face into Peter's hair. Peter tucked his head underneath Tony's chin, before crying again. Tony rubbed Peter's back with a comforting hand, his own tears finally cascading down his cheeks.

**

Peter sank into a perpetual state of numbness. 

He didn't feel anything. 

Somewhere in the deep corners of his mind, a voice whispered   _May's dead. You didn't do anything. Just like with Ben._

But he didn't feel anything.

He dimly acknowledged Tony in the background, could feel the heaviness that could only be his father's arm that protected him from whatever the hell wanted to fuck up his life yet again.

But everything felt far away. Fuzzy. Like he had been drugged so that his senses were dulled and everything was just background noise.

It was better than feeling the crushing, agonizing pain of May's death and guilt.

**

Tony never let go of Peter. He always had an arm around him securely, or held his son's hand in his tightly.  

Peter didn't respond to anything. He just stared blankly at the wall in front of them, not moving. 

If Tony didn't have firsthand experience with grief and shock, he would have been scared as hell. Actually, fuck that, he was scared but he knew Peter needed time. 

As it was, it didn't look like they could go anywhere else, so Tony let Peter sit in silence, losing his own grief in Peter's pain filled eyes.

**

Peter remained unresponsive for another week, excluding the times where Tony gently guided Peter's head into his lap and Peter would turn his face into Tony's stomach.

A week after May had died, Peter had snapped his head up from where it was tucked in between his knees. He reached for Tony's hand and gripped it tightly, eyes widening in fear.

"Pete? What's wrong, bud?"

"He's coming. He's coming Tony, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming-,"

"Peter, you need to breathe, kiddo. C'mon, breathe with me," Tony said gently, bringing Peter's ear to his heart.

Peter inhaled and exhaled shakily.

"He's coming Tony. Something bad is going to happen," he whispered.

"I'm here. You're gonna be fine, bud. I got you."

"I don't think I can do it again. I can't see him again, Dad. I  _can't_ ," Peter mumbled quietly, eyes pooling with tears.

Tony pressed Peter's face into his chest, and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair, whispering, "He's not going to hurt you. I'll make sure of it. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

Peter pressed his face even deeper into his father's shirt and tightened his arms around Tony. The other man gently brushed one of Peter's curls away and waited for Ross to arrive. 

**

"I have a deal to make with you, Stark."

"I'm not interested in whatever shit deals you have to offer," Tony growled back.

"I'm fairly certain you would like to hear this one."

Tony just glared at the man, arms flexing protectively around Peter's frail body.

"It involves the boy," Ross prompted.

Peter's head snapped up to look at Ross in fear before clutching himself tighter to Tony.

"You're going to keep my son out of whatever sick plan you have, Ross."

"We're offering you the boy's freedom. Don't waste the opportunity by being a smart ass," Ross sighed exasperatedly.

Tony's eyes narrowed dangerously, looking at Ross and trying to decide what the hell he was trying to do.

"I'm listening."

Peter let out a small whimper shook his head against his father's chest.

"If you stay longer, we will send the boy back home. However, you'll be forced to participate in a series of tests that might not be the most pleasant. If you refuse this deal, Peter will take your place instead, and both of you will have to stay here until I deem necessary," before Tony could say anything, Ross continued, "I'll give you an hour. If you choose to take the deal, you get one phone call to come pick up the boy. If not, he is immediately going to be taken to where the tests will be held."

Without giving Tony a chance to speak, Ross left the cell.

**

"Peter-,"

_"No."_

"I have to bud. How can I not let you free from this shithole if I had the chance to?"

"Because any place without you is hell. I already lost May, Tony. I can't lose you too," the boy broke off with a sob.

"Oh, kiddie. You aren't going to lose me."

"You don't know that! I didn't know that Ross would kidnap May and fucking shoot her, but he did!" Peter wrapped his arms tighter around Tony and said, "I already lost my parents, Ben, and now I lost May. Don't make me lose my dad, too. Please, Tony. You can't take the deal. You  _can't_."

Tony's heart sank as he considered Peter's words and he bit his lower lip.

"Peter. I promised May I would take care of you, and protect you. I'm doing the opposite by keeping you here."

"You can't protect me if I'm not with you. You can't protect me if you're dead."

_Damn it._

Tony let out a shaky breath. Knowing that Ross was watching, he signed something in sign language so that Peter couldn't see. Thankfully, Clint had taught him a few years back.

_You. Me. Not the kid. I've made up my mind._

Sure enough, Ross came quickly, flanked by guards and either side of him. Without saying a word, they pulled Tony away from Peter and dragged him out of the room. Ross stayed behind to look at Peter through the bars.

"What are you going to do with him?" Peter demanded.

"Don't worry, Pete. You'll find out soon enough." Ross turned on his heel without another word and left the boy in the cell, not caring that he was screaming and pleading to bring Tony back.

**

"I'm taking the deal."

"Why go with the theatrics? You could have just told me."

"I'm Tony Stark."

"Cut the shit, Stark. Why do it like this?"

"You fucking saw, Ross. Peter's not going to willingly go. He's also not going to let me take the deal."

"What are you saying?"

Tony's eyes flashed with what Ross could only describe as agony.

"I'm calling Rhodey. I need you to drug Peter so that he goes. It's the only option."

Ross felt a flash of surprise.

"You want us to drug your child?"

Tony's eyes hardened and he glared at Ross with such intensity that he flinched.

"These are the things you do for your child. If it means Peter will be safe then I will do anything to get him the fuck out of here."

Ross studied him for a moment before handing Tony a burner phone.

" We'll be getting Peter ready."

**

"Where the fuck is he?"

Ross didn't say a word, just stared at the teenager coldly before gesturing for the guards to move forward. They quickly grabbed Peter and held his arms tightly. Peter struggled while yelling, "What the hell did you do? Where is my dad?!"

Ross walked over to Peter crouched so that he was right by his face. He ran his finger over his top lip before grabbing a syringe out of his pocket. Peter's eyes widened and he struggled even harder. Ross easily grabbed Peter's neck and injected the serum. 

Peter, to his confusion, didn't feel anything happening. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before staring at Ross.

"What the hell did you give me?"

Ross just gave the boy a cold smile before the guards released his arms and promptly left.

**

Ross walked in just as Tony ended the call.

"He'll be here in an hour," Tony said quietly.

"The serum Peter was injected with doesn't take place until another 45 minutes. Would you like to stay with him until it's time for him to leave?"

Tony nodded, not looking Ross in the eye. Ross grabbed Tony's arm and guided him to the cell, roughly shoving him in before leaving without another word.

**

"Tony!" Peter yelled, running to his father who was slowly pushing himself into a seated position.

"Hi, kiddo," Tony said, trying to smile but ultimately failing. Peter immediately scanned Tony's face and body before crushing the older man in a hug.

"You aren't hurt, are you? They didn't do anything? You're okay, right?" Peter said, voice muffled by Tony's shirt. 

"I'm fine, Peter. Everything is fine."

"Why'd they take you?"

"They wanted to remind me what would happen if I choose not to take the deal."

Peter abruptly lifted his head to look at Tony with worried eyes.

"You can't take it, Tony. It's fine, I can handle whatever they want to do with me. But I can't handle losing you. Don't make me lose you," he begged, eyes watering. Tony just pulled Peter back into the hug, his own tear sliding down his cheek slowly.

_I'm sorry Peter. I love you so much. I'm doing this for you, bud. You'll see._

**

Peter had adjusted himself so that he was curled up in Tony's lap his head resting on Tony's chest. Peter let out a content hum as Tony ran his calloused fingers through Peter's hair. He briefly considered telling Tony that Ross had come in and injected him with something but decided against it. Tony had enough troubles as it is. As time passed though, he began to become more and more sleepy. It's like his consciousness was slipping away like helium in a leaky balloon. 

"T'ny? I feel wei'd."

"Yeah, bud?"

"Yeah. 'm really sleepy."

"Sleep it off, Peter. You'll be fine."

Peter forced his eyes open to look at his dad. 

"Don't leave me. Please."

"Leave you? I'm not going anywhere, Pete."

_You'll be the one leaving me. I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for you._

"Pr'mise?"

"Yeah, Peter. I promise."

Satisfied with the answer, Peter shut his eyes closed and slipped into unconsciousness.

**

Tony didn't lie to Peter. He technically wouldn't be going anywhere. Peter was going somewhere.

His heart hurt at the thought of being away from him but he didn't regret anything. He could never regret saving his child. So he cradled Peter in his arms until the very last minute when Ross showed up. Peter must have sensed something was wrong- damn those spidey senses- and chose that moment to wake up.

"T'ny?" he slurred weakly. Tony looked down at Peter with a sad smile.

"I love you, Peter. I love you so much," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Peter's temple. Being careful not to let the tears in his eyes spill, he nodded at Ross.

_Get him the hell out of here._

Ross grabbed Peter's arms and started dragging him out of the cell, Peter protesting weakly.

"No. No. T'ny. T'ny, you pr'mised! T'ny!" Peter yelled, his words jumbling together. But the drugs did their job and he was to weak to fight them. He looked at Tony with hurt and worry in his eyes.

"You pr'mised," he cried. Tony's heart shattered and he pressed his hand against the bars of the cell. 

"I love you," he whispered. 

Tony Stark watched as they dragged his son away, the tears finally spilling down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on instagram: @quackson_91  
> *leave a kudos or comment? they make me really happy:)*


	8. Chapter 7

"Hello?"

It was an unknown number. Rhodey picked it up cautiously, there were very few who called him on his personal line. The raspy, pain-filled voice shocked Rhodey to his core.

"Rhodey... I need you to come get Peter," said the voice of Tony Stark.

"Tony?!" Rhodey yelled, "Where the hell are you?"

"One of Ross's private facilities or some shit. I'm sending you the location."

But then one of Tony's statements hit Rhodey like a sledgehammer.

"What do you mean get Peter? What about you?"

"I can't... I can't go. Not yet. But Peter can, so you have to get Peter the hell out of here, okay? I mean it Rhodey. You have to get Peter out of here." Tony's voice was strained, and Rhodey could practically feel the anxiety through the phone.

"Tony-,"

"Rhodey. You have to get Peter out. I'm trusting you with my son's fucking life."

"Tones-,"

"They'll be moving me as soon as you come and take Peter, so you can't come back. And, Rhodey? Keep Peter safe for me," Tony's voice cracked at the very end and Rhodey knew he couldn't disappoint him. Every cell in his body screamed to take Tony with Peter, every nerve yelling,  _Tony. Tony, I need to get you out too, you're my best friend and..._

"Okay. Okay, yeah. I'll bring Peter home." Rhodey promised him because this was his best friend's son because his one friend that he could always count on was pleading with him to keep his son safe. Rhodey has never seen Tony be in so much pain for someone, and as much as it hurt him, he would get Peter out of there... without Tony.

"Thank you," the response was quiet and riddled with pain. "I'm sending the location now."

Rhodey stared at the glowing screen.

_Tony. You're so close. You're so fucking close, how can I not save you and Peter both?_

"I can be there within an hour."

_To come rescue your son. But not you. I'm so sorry, Tones._

"Take care of Peter, Rhodes. I'm counting on you."

_Counting on you to leave me and take care of my kid._

The line went dead.

Rhodey exhaled shakily and then went to call out the rest of the team.

_I'm sorry, Tony. I'll come get you as soon as I can._

**

"Stop," he pleaded weakly. "I don't... I don't w'nna go. Take me back. Please."

_Don't rip me away from another parent. Please. I can't do it._

Ross paid no attention to him, just gripped his arms tighter.

"T'ny...," Peter slurred. "W'nt T'ny."

_I want my dad. I need my dad. You can't take me away from him, you can't, you can't, you can't._

There was a bang, and then light filled Peter's blown pupils. He shut his eyes closed tightly. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of a jet, and he snapped his eyes back open.

_No. Don't take me away. Tony._

_TonyTonyTonyTonyTonyTony._

He struggled in Ross's hold, straining to go back.

_Tony. Nononononononononono_

But there was that familiar feeling of a needle breaking into the skin of his neck, and he crumpled, body going limp.

_Damn it! No, no, no!_

The last thing he felt was his limp body being transferred to the jet before his world collapsed into darkness.

_Tony..._

**

It was quiet. Calm. A dream, maybe?

Peter turned over, trying to snuggle in deeper into Tony's chest before his eyes flashed open.

_Tony._

_TonyTonyTonyTonyTony._

_Where the hell is Tony?_

_Tony._

"Peter! Calm down, bud. We got you home. You're safe," Steve said gently, hand on his chest.

Safe?

"T'ny?"

Steve bit his lip, eyes holding an infinite amount of pity.

"Peter..."

"Where's Tony?" he mumbled, fumbling in the sheets covering his body. All he knew was that Tony wasn't there, he wasn't holding him, he wasn't with him.

"Where is he?" he asked, louder this time, feeling his pulse speed up.

"What do you remember, bud?" Steve asked gently, softly pushing Peter back onto the hospital bed.

_Hospital bed._

_Ross. Where the fuck was Ross? Why was he in a hospital bed?_

_Where the fuck is Tony?_

And then everything came crashing back onto him.

"We have to get Tony. We need to go back, we need to save him, we need to, we need to-," Peter gasped, grabbing Steve's arm tightly.

_TonyTonyTonyTonyTonyTony_

"Peter, breathe. C'mon, you can do it," Steve looked at the shaking teenager, grabbing his hand. Almost immediately Peter shook it off, repeating, "We need to get Tony. We need to get him back, I need him, I need-,"

"I'm sorry, Peter. We can't get Tony. Not yet." 

_But I need him. You don't understand, I need him. I need Tony, I need him, I need him, I need him._

"No! We can get him, we can save him!" Peter finally yelled, trying to get out of the bed. Steve gently pushed Peter back, keeping an arm across the hyperventilating child's chest to keep him still.

"I need my dad. Please, let me get my dad!" Peter begged, tears streaming down his face, fighting against Steve's grip. He didn't want Captain America holding him, he wanted his dad, he wanted to be wrapped up in his father's arms, he just wanted _Tony._

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered.

Peter collapsed, too exhausted to continue fighting the older man. His small shoulders shook with sobs, every inch of his body screaming for Tony, for his arms to be wrapped around him, for his face to be in his hair. Every inch of his frail, injured body ached for Tony, for his mentor, for his dad.

The tears kept falling, the sobs kept coming as he realized that he couldn't save Tony, couldn't be with him.

_You shouldn't have let him take you. Why did you let him take the fucking deal?_

He drifted back into a painful sleep with tears still tracing a small, watery path along Peter's cheeks.

**

It was too empty.

Tony stared at his hands, curled into tight fists. 

He missed Peter. Missed the feeling of his small body wrapped around him, missed the feeling of his hair between his fingers, missed how he would say blearily, "Love you."

But, he knew he did the right thing. He took comfort in the thought of Peter being safe, no blood covering his body, ignoring the way his heart clenched painfully when he thought of being alone without him. 

_Don't be selfish. He's safe, with Rhodey and everyone else._

Tony clung onto every memory with him, as if remembering the way Peter would snuggle his feverish body into his chest would somehow bring that same sense of warmth. He reminded himself that Peter was safe and that it was better this way. Peter wasn't going to get hurt anymore. Peter was fine. Peter was fine, and as long as he was fine, Tony was fine.

So, when Ross and the guards came in to restrain him and move him somewhere else, he held his wrists out willingly and let himself be restrained. He had no reason to fight anymore, Peter was safe. He would be fine. He let Ross pull him along willingly because he had nothing to fight for, nothing to protect. No one to look out for anymore. His son was safe. He didn't have to be unwilling with Peter gone. Maybe if he was cooperative, Ross would let him go quicker.

_I'm going to be fine, buddy. I love you. Hopefully, I'll see you soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short and basically all dialogue, but it's something, right? I don't know, I was just itching to get something out there. Sorry if it's shit:/  
> But, thank you guys so much for all the amazing comments! You guys are fucking great, I love you all:)


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Infinity War spoilers. But like... it's been so long? idk, just keep that in mind if you read this. Psychological torture, panic attack

_"Hey, Dad?"_

_"Yeah, bud?"_

_"When... when we die, do you think you can still see the people that are alive? Like family, I mean?"_

_"I don't know, kiddie. Maybe."_

_"Who would you want to see?"_

_Tony turned his face to look at Peter with a crease in between his eyebrows._

_"Are you okay, Pete?"_

_"I'm with you," the teenager replied with a small smile, curling in deeper into his father's body_

_"I would want to see you. Rhodey. The team. Pepper. My family." Tony smiled and ran his thumb over Peter's top lip. "But I'm not leaving you any time soon."_

_I love you too much to die and never see you again._

_"Sometimes I think it wouldn't be that bad. Being dead, I mean. I would see May again. And Uncle Ben. My parents. But...," Peter trailed off with a small frown. "But, I can't leave you. You're too important."_

_Tony hugged Peter closer to his chest, relishing in the sound of Peter's breathing._

_"You're important to me too, Peter. I love you, bud."_

_"Me too. I'm glad I'm with you."_

_Tony smiled and leaned his face into Peter's hair, running a hand down his child's bare back comfortingly._

_I love you. More than you know._

Peter shot up with a gasp, hand reaching out for a person that wasn't there. He curled up, bringing his head to his knees. 

_Why did you take the deal, dad? You promised._

He watched the tears fall, collecting in a little puddle on his knees before dripping down in a salty waterfall. He stared at the waterfall until his vision was blurry with tears, clouding everything away. In this hazy version of reality, he could pretend Tony was there. There wasn't any false pretense of comfort or safety in this blurry world. He could almost make out Tony and his voice, whispering out,  _I love you kiddo._ His surroundings became more blurry as he let the tears pile up.

_Good. I don't deserve to be safe and happy without you. Fuck it, I'm not safe or happy without you._ _I don't want to see this without you._

He eventually blinked away the tears and whatever image of Tony that he so desperately wanted to be real.

_And just like that, you're gone again. Like the first time._

**

Tony held back a frustrated scream as the image was ripped away from him once again.

_"It's the face of the future, Stark. We wouldn't even need to touch them. Just put it on their head, and let technology do its thing."_

He was  _so close._ He had heard Peter's voice, could practically  _feel_ his presence. The figure was closer now, less blurry. Peter's trademark mop of curls was starting to take shape. His body came into view, small and frail.

"Peter!" Tony yelled, running to reach his son.

"Dad!" Peter yelled back, his own small legs flying.

Right before Tony could slam into him, tug his warm body into his embrace, Peter disappeared. And of course, he had to vanish in  _that_ way, just like he did on Titan. Tony was so close, he was right there, and then...

Nothing. Nothing but dust that eventually faded away, drifting in the nonexistent air.

"Damn it!" Tony yelled, falling to his knees. "God fucking  _damn it_!" 

The simulation faded away, revealing a smirking Ross. Tony looked down at the ground, refusing to let Ross see his unshed tears.

Ross crossed the room to lift up Tony's chin with his pointer finger, forcing the billionaire to look at him. He smiled cruelly before letting the man's head drop.

Once again a wave of darkness swept up Tony's vision, this time staying. Tony looked around, confusion etched clear on his face. Then the screams started, filling his ears, splitting his head.

"Tony! No, no, no, don't let them take me! Dad!" 

Tony strained to look at Peter, trying to find where he is, the urge to comfort and protect surging through his body like lightning.

Peter's voice screamed out in pain, coming out thick with tears.

"Peter!" 

The lightning filled his veins, adrenaline rushing through him, his head pounding.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

Another bloodcurdling scream, this one louder.

Tony tried running, but he couldn't move, he was frozen.

He couldn't help his child, he couldn't comfort him, he couldn't see him, he couldn't tell him it was going to be all right, he couldn't do anything, he was useless, he-

Tony collapsed on the ground in a heap, free from whatever was holding him back.

But he couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't  _protect_.

Tony's chest heaved as he struggled to inhale.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_Where are you? PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_I can't- I can't protect you, oh god, PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

"Stop!" he finally yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Stop, I can't do it anymore, stop!"

But Peter's screams kept filling his ears and Tony clutched his head in agony. 

_Make it stop. Please. Make it stop._

Finally, everything whited out and he was back, away from Peter's screams. Tony immediately slumped as far as his restraints would allow him, still breathing heavily.

"You shouldn't have defied me, Stark. You shouldn't have done a lot of things."

Ross left, slamming the door behind him, once again leaving Tony in the darkness.

**

"Pete, you got to eat, bud," Rhodey says gently, pushing the bowl back to Peter.

"Not hungry," Peter mumbles, shoving the bowl away from him weakly.

"Tony wouldn't want this. He'd want you happy and healthy."

Peter's head snaps up, and the look in his eyes makes Rhodey freeze.

"You don't know what he would want," he whispers quietly, deadly. "He's not here right now, and we can't know what he would want because he's busy getting his ass tortured."

Rhodey's eyes softened, and he moved so that he was sitting next to Peter, hesitantly putting an arm around the kid. Peter froze before melting into the touch and his small shoulders started shaking. Rhodey pulled Peter into his chest and held him tight as the teenager cried. 

"I just... I need him. And I'm so worried, what if he's really hurt, what if he's not even...," Peter trailed off with a sob.

"He's Tony fucking Stark. If anyone can get through what he is, it's going to be him."

Peter laughed wetly and wiped his nose with his arm. 

"We're going to get him back, Peter. I promise."

Peter nodded, slumping into Rhodey's side. Rhodey rubbed a hand on Peter's shoulder comfortingly, whispering, "He's going to be okay," over and over again. Peter nodded and bit his bottom lip.

"What's wrong, Pete?" Rhodey asked, eyes soft. Peter looked up, tears shining in his young eyes.

"It worries me. Being away from him, I mean. When I was with him, he made me feel safe. After all the shit that happened to me... he was there. He was my constant, and he was just ripped away from me like everyone else. What if he's being tortured right now? That's because of  _me_. A-and I-I can't... I can't lose him too. I can't lose another person I care about." Peter ripped his eyes away from the Colonel and wiped the tears away from his eyes. 

Rhodey held Peter's face with his hand and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"We're going to get him back. I promise, Peter. You'll be back in his arms soon enough."

_I'm going to bring your dad back for you, kid. I swear._

**

Peter stared at the phone in his hands.

_"Hey, Peter. I found this since... you know. Anyway, I've been keeping it for you. Figured you might want it? I don't know. Anyway, here's your phone," Rhodey had said, smiling a little. Peter smiled back, but purely out of politeness. He didn't want to see what he had missed out on, didn't want to hear the people's false sympathies and 'I hope you're okay's._

Slowly, he turned it on and went to messages, ignoring the endless streams of texts from his friends. He clicked on Tony's name, and scrolled up, reading through everything that was sent.

_Tony: You have been demoted, Pete. You went from SpiderBaby to SpiderInfant._

_Peter: Um, okay. Why, lol?_

_Tony: Because infants are cuter._

_Peter: *gasp* the great Tony Stark has feelings? ;)_

_Tony: Don't send me those crude faces. The things don't even have noses for God's sake._

_Peter: ; >)_

_Tony: Jesus Christ._

_Peter: You know it's cause I love you._

_Tony: At least you're one of the teens who use proper grammar when texting. No 'cos' or 'cuz'. Your people are uncivilized, Pete._

_Peter: I know. But I'm civilized so it's alright. When I take over the world, teenagers across the globe will be trained and taught properly to use the proper 'your' and no outlandish abbreviations._

_Tony: You're really something special, kid._

_Peter: My name is not 'kid'. It is Emperor Short Stack, according to Clit._

_Tony: What the fuck?_

_Peter: Oh shit, I meant Clint. Clint, you know, with the 'n'. Not that... definitely not that._

_Tony: Gave me a heart attack, sheesh._

_Peter: I am an innocent child._

_Tony: Also, watch your language. You'd think I was raising a sailor._

_Peter: Wait, really?_

_Tony: No. That's May's job. I'm just here to be a cool Dad._

_Peter: Oh, yeah. The coolest._

_Tony: Don't doubt it._

_Peter: Thai for dinner?_

_Tony: No. Shawarma._

_Peter: No. No more shawarma._

_Tony: Is thou dissing the greatness of the godliest food known to mankind? Thou dare diss the great shawarma?_

_Peter: You're weird._

_Tony: I know. We'll let May decide._

_Peter: If May chooses, we're going to end up eating pasta._

_Tony: Well, then we'll go down in history as the world's greatest pasta eaters._

_Peter: How do I live with you?_

_Tony: Love you, Pete._

_Peter: Me too._

_Tony: So, shawarma?_

_Peter: No. Shut up._

_Tony: You are a cruel, cruel man._

_Peter: Love you, old man. I gotta get back to class._

_Tony: My fucked up genius. Bye, SpiderInfant._

Peter slammed the phone back down, tears once again taking residence in Peter's eyes. He breathed harshly, chest heaving, as the sobs overcame him, threating to drown him in a mass of tears and anxiety. 

_Tony. May. My parents._

_Gone, gone, gone._

_I want you to come back. Need you to come back. I just want you. Come back, come back, come back._

_Take me back. I don't care. I just want to be with him. May's gone and Tony's not here and I'm alone, I'm alone, I'm alone._

_Alonealonealonealonealonealone_

"Peter!" Rhodey's voice breaks through the endless stream of  _alonealonealonealone_ and Peter recoils, because as much as he appreciated Rhodey, he  _wasn't Tony._

"I c-cant, I c-cant, c-can't, I-," Peter gasps, trying to breathe, but the crushing feeling doesn't go away, it weighs him down like an anchor, still screaming  _alonealonealonealone_

"Breathe, Peter. You can do it. Just match your breaths with mine okay?" Rhodey grabbed Peter's hand and placed it on his chest, letting him feel the pulses, watching the teen struggle to breathe with him. Peter shook his head harshly, trying to will the voices to stop.

_Alone. No Tony, no May. No family. Alonealonealonealone._

"Peter. Breathe. You can do it, kiddo."

Peter shakes his head again, the lack of oxygen making his head spin. He let out a sob, curling in himself, trying to breathe-

_TonyTonyTonyTonyTony_

_Alonealonealonealonealone_

Peter inhaled sharply, then exhaled.

"That's it, Peter. Keep breathing, okay?"

Peter took in another breath of air, and the voices quieted. He exhaled, breathing out  _TonyTonyTonyTony_. 

"Rhodey," he gasped out, fumbling for the Colonel's hand. Rhodey guided it so that his fingers curled around the older man's.

"Yeah, Peter?"

"N-need Tony," he breathed out, closing his eyes and sinking back onto the hospital bed.

"I know, bud. I'm sorry. I'm working on it, okay? We're going to get him back," Rhodey whispered, brushing a hand across Peter's forehead. 

 _Just like Tony._  

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered. 

_Sorry, I freaked out, I'm sorry you have to deal with this, sorry that you aren't Tony and I need it to be Tony._

"I'm sorry."

**

"Peter! Peter, it's going to be okay!"

Peter let out another scream, and Tony thrashed even harder in his restraints, jerking, trying to reach his kid. Just a few feet across from him, Peter lay on the floor, covered in blood, screaming as he was shocked yet again. Tony yelled out, trying to get out of the damn chair and reach his son, but all he did was give himself an angry cut, blood dripping from his wrists. 

Peter slumped against the guard's legs, pleading, "Stop, I can't do it anymore, stop, stop, stop, stop. Please, stop," his eyes closing. 

"Don't worry," said Ross coldly, "It'll all be over soon."

Tony snapped his head up, just in time to see Ross pull out a gun and aim it at Peter's head. 

_No. Nononononononono. Peter. Peter._

"Ross! Don't you fucking dare!" he yelled out, thrashing harder than ever.

"I love you, Dad," Peter said, eyes filling with tears.

"No, Peter, you're gonna be fine-,"

"I'm sorry," the boy whispered, before shutting his eyes tightly.

_No. You can't just kill him, you can't, you can't, you can't-_

"Ross please-,"

_Bang_

Peter slumped over, blood pouring out of his head.

"Peter!" Tony  _screamed_.

Then the world whited out and Tony was back in the cold cell, no Peter, no blood, just him, Ross, and a helmet. Tony opened his eyes, and cried in relief, actual tears pouring out of his eyes.

_Peter's fine, Peter's home, he's okay, he's okay, he's okay._

He let his head drop to his chest, too exhausted to hold it up on his own, tears sliding down his cheeks. Ross just folded his arms and smiled, watching Tony breathe harshly. 

"I do think that you've seen enough simulations, yes? All the experiments are done, all the devices worked quite wonderfully." 

Tony lifted his head, feeling a flash of hope. Ross studied him for a moment before aiming a punch at Tony's face. Tony flinched at the hit, then spit out the blood on the floor.

"I think it's time for you to go home, Stark." Ross smiled coldly. "I think I've proved my point." 

**

Rhodey stayed with Peter, hand on the teenager's knee while watching  _Star Wars_. The teenager was deemed healthy enough to leave the MedBay and Helen Cho had given Peter strict instructions to rest and take his pain meds. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he smiled apologetically at Peter before taking it out of his pocket. His heart stopped when he saw the number.

_Unknown Number._

The last time an unknown number had called him-

"Hello?" he said, fist clenched tightly.

"Why don't you come get your friend, Colonel? I'm sure he wants to see his son."

Peter snapped up, eyes growing wide.

_Enhanced hearing, fuck._

"I'll be sending the location. Do hurry, Colonel. Stark seems to be... on edge," Ross said, and promptly ended the call.

Peter shot up, looking at Rhodey anxiously. A few seconds later, Rhodey's phone chimed, this time with an address.

_The Raft. Of course. Of fucking course._

Rhodey turned his head to look at Peter. Peter's eyes were filled with tears, and he was pale.

_TonyTonyTonyTony_

_I'm coming._

_I'm comingI'mcomingI'mcomingI'mcoming_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OoOoOoOoOoOoO


	10. Chapter 9

Peter stared out at the window of the jet, losing himself in the endless stream of clouds and ocean water. 

_ TonyTonyTonyTonyTony _

_ I’m coming to get you, Dad. I’m so close.  _

Peter closed his eyes briefly, letting out a small sight before snapping them open again. 

“Peter?” 

_ Pete? You okay, bud?  _

_ Tony. _

"Yeah?”

Rhodey looked over the teenager critically, taking in his abnormally cold eyes. He could practically feel the tension radiating from Peter’s body. Before Rhodey could formulate a question or a statement Peter opened his mouth.

“It’s  _ Tony _ , Rhodey. This is my Dad’s life in our hands. I’m prepared to do anything. If that means going against any previous morals I had, I will gladly throw them all away. As long as I get Tony back,” Peter’s voice was quiet, deadly. He stared at Rhodey as if daring him to say anything that prevented him from reaching his father.

But Rhodey didn’t say anything. He stared back at Peter and put his hand gently on the teenager’s knee. 

_ I know you’ll do anything, kid. I’m not going to stop you because it’s Tony. I would do what you’re thinking, too. I just don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to be hurt. You and Tony, you are my only family.   _

Peter focused his eyes back onto the window, drowning his feelings in the vast ocean ahead of him.

_ I mean it, Dad. Anything. I’m coming. I love you. Just hang tight, okay? I’m coming.  _

_ ** _

“The most important thing is to get Tony. It would be beneficial to gather evidence, but that’s only if time permits and Ross decides to stay the fuck out of our way. As long as we get Tony, we are successful. Understand?” Steve’s voice was calm and collected. The team all muttered “Yes”s and “Yeah”s. But Peter merely nodded. 

Ross wouldn’t be getting out of this alive or at least injured. The bastard deserves it. 

Peter clenched his fists when he saw the Raft come into view. 

_ TonyTonyTonyTonyTony _

_ I’m here. I’m going to get you. And our lives are going to be so fucking boring from now on.  _

_ TonyTonyTonyTonyTony _

The jet landed, and Peter stood up. 

_ Dad _

**

The team landed on the Raft, and Peter flew out the doors of the jet. 

_ Tony. Tony where are you? TonyTonyTonyTony _

Ross stood in front of the team, arms crossed and a small smile on his lips. He nodded at the Avengers before fixing his gaze on Peter. 

“Hello, Mister Parker,” Ross said coolly. Peter growled at Ross, eyes blazing.

“Your father-,” but Peter cut him off. He shot a web at Ross effectively ending the older man’s words. He tied him securely before pulling out a gun from his waistband. 

“Where the hell is he?” Peter demanded, slamming Ross against the wall and pressing the gun against the Secretary’s temple. He dimly heard the team’s voices in the background but chose to ignore them.

“Let him. Peter’s been through a lot, and this is the man who not only tortured him but his father as well,” Rhodey said quietly to the team, keeping his eyes trained on Peter. 

Ross smirked and said, “He’s not doing too well, that’s for sure.” Peter slammed the gun harder against Ross’s head and yelled, “Where the  _ fuck  _ is he?!” 

But all Ross did was cock his head at him and raise an eyebrow. 

“You won’t shoot me, Peter Parker. You’re just a kid with a gun, lost in an adult’s world. You know that I’m the only one who knows where Stark is.”

Peter nodded his head. 

“You’re right about something. You’re the only one who knows where Tony is.”

He clicked a bullet into place and fired a shot at Ross’s leg. Ross yelled out in pain. Peter smiled and said, “Which means I’ll do anything to get him back. And if that means shooting you, I won’t hesitate to do so.” 

Ross’s eyes showed a glimmer of fear and Peter could hear the man inhale sharply in fear. 

“East wing. Fifth cell on the right,” Ross breathed. Peter smiled coldly at him and then moved the gun back to Ross’s head and promptly shot him.

“Son of a bitch,” he snarled. He turned around to face his team, eyes steely. 

“Let’s go get Tony.”

The team shook themselves out of their surprise and followed Peter, who had disappeared to the East wing.

**

_ Fifth cell on the right. Fifth cell on the right.  _

Peter ran down the hall until he reached his destination. 

_ Tony. _

He broke the door open and ran in. 

“Tony!”

**

Tony stared at the blank wall, fists clenched. 

_ They’re coming. They’re coming. _

He heard yelling and he stood up, hopes soaring.

He heard the footsteps, pounding.

_ Peter. _

And then finally, the face he wanted to see most of all appeared in front of him. Peter broke the door down and crashed into him, a sobbing mess of curls and tears. 

_ PeterPeterPeterPeter _

“Tony,” his son gasped out, lifting his face from Tony’s chest. Tears streamed down the teenager's cheeks and he quickly pressed his face back into Tony’s chest, his small body shaking. 

“Peter,” Tony breathed, clutching his son closer to his chest tightly. “Peter, Peter, Peter,  _ Peter. _ ”

The rest of the team ran in and smiled at the sight of father and son clutching each other. Tony lifted his head slightly from Peter’s shoulder to smile at them and mouth, “Thank you,” before burying his face back into Peter’s shoulder. 

_ PeterPeterPeterPeter _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

**

Peter gently wrapped an arm around his father’s shoulders and waist, supporting him as they walked back to the jet. Tony smiled at him and Peter finally felt at peace.

_ Tony. Tony, I got you. I got you. Dad.  _

On the way, Tony glanced at Ross’s limp, dead body and raised an eyebrow at Peter. Peter looked back at the corpse, flipped it off, and turned back to his father without a second glance. Tony gave a small laugh and flipped Ross off too. 

It was unsaid, but Peter received the message.

_ Good job, kid. Thank you. _

Peter held onto his father tighter.

_ You’re welcome. I love you. _

Tony brushed back one of Peter’s curls with his hand.

_ I love you more.  _

_ More than anything.  _

**

They got Tony into the MedBay section of the jet, laying him down gently. Peter stayed with him, gripping his father’s hand tightly. 

“C’mere, kiddie,” Tony said, moving so that there was enough space for Peter. Peter smiled and got into the small bed, turning his face into Tony’s chest, and wrapping his arms around him. Tony slung an arm around Peter’s ribcage and turned his face into Peter’s hair. 

“Missed you,” Peter said, his words muffled by Tony’s shirt. Tony tightened his arms around Peter’s body and murmured, “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

Peter suddenly lifted his head to scan over Tony’s face worriedly. 

“You’re okay, right? You aren’t hurt?” 

Peter’s breath hitched as he thought of the injuries hidden behind Tony’s thin shirt. 

Sensing Peter’s panic, Tony gently brought the kid’s head gently back into his chest and ran his fingers through Peter’s hair.

“I’m alright, Peter. Don’t worry about me.” 

Peter snuggled his face deeper into his father’s chest, tension visibly leaking out of his body. 

Rhodey found them an hour later, still tangled together, Peter sleeping in his father's arms. He smiled at the sight and then took a seat next to Tony, lightly clapping him on the shoulder. Tony looked up at his best friend and said, "Thank you," softly. Rhodey nodded and said, "Never again." Tony let out a small laugh before dropping his head onto Peter's head lightly, tucking his son's head underneath his chin. 

"You're good with him, Tony. You deserve him," Rhodey said before leaving. Tony looked down at his sleeping son and ran his thumb over Peter's temple gently. Peter unconsciously leaned into the touch, and Tony smiled.

_ I love you, Peter. More than anything. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my bbys are reunited. Scream at me in the comments:)


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5k hits on this shit? Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys are great:)  
> For real though, I'm sorry that I like never update and when I do it's trash. Y'all deserve better.

"You are an idiot and I refuse to tolerate this bullshit," Peter deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" Tony repeated indignantly back at his son.

"How the hell did you think  _Star Trek_ could ever compare to the greatest cinematic franchise ever created?"

"In my defense, they both have fucked up space thingies and the word ' _star'_ in their titles."

"Did you just call  _Star Wars_ a fucked up space thingy?" Peter sounded so offended that it physically pained Tony to not laugh. As it was, Tony wrapped his arms tighter around his son.

"Kid, can you blame me?" he asked, toying with Peter's hair. Peter let out a huff but curled in deeper into his father's chest. 

"You're lucky I love you so much," he said, "If this were Ned, I would no longer have a best friend." Peter paused. "Then again, my best friend wouldn't be as dumb to have the audacity to ever imply that  _Star Trek_  could ever surpass the godliness of  _Star Wars._ "

"Glad to hear I'm so high up on your list of loved ones. I feel special, Pete. I really do."

"Hmph." Tony laughed and gently tucked Peter's head underneath his chin, running his fingers up and down Peter's back gently. 

"Never again," Peter's voice had turned serious and-impossibly-he wrapped his arms tighter around Tony. "Don't ever do that again. And I'm not talking about your lack of knowledge on  _Star Wars._ " Tony's hand immediately stilled and he let out a shaky breath. 

"I did what I had to do to protect you, Pete. Your safety is the most important thing to me now. If that means," Tony swallowed before continuing, "If that means that my safety is at risk,  if the whole fucking world's safety was at risk, I wouldn't give a damn. I would risk anything to keep you safe because you are the single most important thing that matters to me now. I can't lose you. If that means I lose  _me_ , then I'm fine with that. So long as you are safe, as long as you are okay, I'll be fine," Tony says, hand going back to play with Peter's hair as he talked. The physical contact grounded him, reminding him that Peter was  _right there, alive, breathing, not dead, blood wasn't pooling around his too young body, he wasn't-_

"I'm not okay without you. I'm only okay when I'm with you. I'm not safe without you because then there is no one there with me, and I'm alone, and you can't protect me, and as much as I trust the team they aren't you, and you are the only thing that matters to me. If you aren't okay, I'm not okay, if you aren't here with me I'm not safe. Only with you. You were the one who was always there, Tony, and I was just ripped away from you, and I didn't know if you were okay, I didn't- I didn't know if you were a-alive or dea-," Peter cut himself off with a shuddering breath. Tony brought up Peter's small hand to his chest, right over his heart.

_Beat_

"I'm alive, buddy. I'm  _fine._ "

_Beat_

"But you might not have been. A-and then I would have been alone-,"

_Beat_

"You aren't alone, kiddie."

_Beat_

"But I could have been. Just," Peter inhaled and then exhaled sharply, "Just please don't do it again. I would rather  _die_ than leave you again or-or you get hurt or d-die because of me. Never again. Please. Never again." Peter's voice was quiet, but it echoed throughout the room, resonated in Tony's head.  _I would rather die_. Tony couldn't have that. He can't have Peter dying, he couldn't even imagine it without his heart constricting painfully. Peter bleeding, Peter dying, Peter  _dead._

_Beat_

Tony exhaled shakily and lightly traced his thumb over Peter's upper lip.

_Beat_

Peter fisted Tony's shirt in his hand.

_Beat_

Tony curled around his kid, the desire to never let go of him, to never let him in harm's way exploding in his chest like a supernova, burning away any doubts and fears he had. The need to stay with Peter, keep him safe, spread throughout him, hot and fast. He couldn't leave his child any more than he could shoot him. Peter grounded him. Peter took all his fucked up bits and put him back together stronger than ever. There was no future, no possibility, no alternate universe where Peter wasn't his son and Tony wasn't his father. There was no endgame where Peter wasn't with Tony. He couldn't leave his genius child. 

_Beat_

Peter let himself be enveloped in his father's arms, let himself be protected by the comforting smell that was  _Tony._ Tony was his constant, was his home, was what kept Peter alive. Tony protected Peter, made him feel safe. Peter lived off of that, breathed in  _Tony's here, Tony is alive, Tony will keep me safe_ everytime he inhaled and breathed out  _TonyTonyTonyTony_ every time he exhaled. Peter survived purely off of the comfort radiating off of his father's body like it was oxygen. When he was drowning under the overwhelming, crushing fear that threatened to take him under, Tony's embrace filled hope and warmth into his lungs. He couldn't leave Tony. He couldn't leave his brilliant father. 

_Beat_

"Never again."

**

"It's just going to be for a few moments, Tony. Then you can cuddle with him all you want," Rhodey said, gently placing his arm on Tony's elbow. The jet had landed, and Tony needed to be checked over, but the billionaire didn't seem to keen on letting his kid go. 

"I'm not leaving him," Tony said stubbornly, flexing his arms against Peter's frail body. 

_Not again. Never again._

"C'mon, Tones. He's going to be right there, okay? We just need to get you into the MedBay and have you looked over."

"He's  _sleeping._ "

"I can see that."

"What if he wakes up and I'm not there with him? I don't want to do that again. Never again." Rhodey's face softened. Sometimes it was unbelievable that Tony Stark, his Tony Stark, would become a father. Of course, Rhodey knew he was great with kids. Tony denied it in the past, saying he didn't want to become Howard, but Rhodey could see how much Tony loved Peter. Seeing Tony with Peter, it made Rhodey feel happy, knowing that his best friend was happy. It was obvious to anyone who saw the father and son duo; they loved each other to the point of death. They cared so much for each other, it didn't seem real. Something out of a book, because nothing could be that pure and perfect. 

"What if he wakes up but his father doesn't? You need to be looked over, Tones." Tony glared at his best friend before sighing. He looked down at the sleeping child against his chest and brushed the hair out of Peter's forehead. 

"Okay," he whispered. He pressed a kiss into Peter's forehead before slowly untangling himself from the kid. Peter let out a small whine that shot through Tony's heart like a bullet when he felt his father's absence but otherwise stayed asleep. Tony squeezed the small hand before whispering, "I'll be back, kiddo. Promise." Rhodey smiled softly and said, "C'mon, Tones. I'll send someone to get Peter so he doesn't stay in the jet all day." Tony shot another worried glance at his son before biting his lower lip in hesitation. 

"Tony. He's going to be fine" Rhodey assured. Tony nodded absently and gave one last glance at Peter before leaving.

**

"Well, you seem to be fine. You're extremely dehydrated and have a few bruises, but those should fade away in time. You need rest and fluids."

_And Peter. I need Peter. PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

"I'm going to go check on Peter,-"

"Excuse me? What's wrong with Peter?" Tony demanded suddenly, jolting upright. Cho sighed before gently pushing Tony back onto the hospital bed. "He's fine, Stark. He just came back from a mission and he's a child. I want to make sure he's okay." 

"I want to see him," Tony said, folding his arms. 

"I'll check him here. We have an extra bed in this room anyway. Don't worry. You'll have your son back soon enough." Cho rolled her eyes when Tony let out a huff of annoyance. 

"I'll be back with Peter. Try not to die." Cho said before leaving, shutting the door behind her. 

**

"What the hell?" Cho murmured. Turning her head slightly to Rhodey she asked, "How long has he been asleep?"

"Um... after we rescued Tony he was pretty knocked out on the way back."

"So more than an hour?"

"Yeah..."

"Shit."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Let's get him into the MedBay."

Rhodey opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on but quickly shut it when Cho glared at him. He scooped Peter up into his arms, frowning when his head lolled sluggishly and Peter let out a small groan. He glanced at Cho, worry evident in his eyes.

"MedBay.  _Now._ "

**

"What the fuck do you mean he's  _dying_?" Tony demanded, tearing out his IV to stand over Peter's unconscious form. As soon as the words left his mouth Peter let out a pained moan. Tony immediately grabbed Peter's hand tightly, eyes growing wide when he felt how cold Peter's skin was. 

_No. Nonononononononono._

_You were supposed to be safe._

_You were supposed to be okay._

_You're supposed to be alive_

_You weren't supposed to be dying._

_Not Peter. Never Peter, nonononononono._

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

_**You were supposed to be safe.**  
_

"There's an unknown toxin in his body. We don't know what it is, what's it's made of, we know nothing about it. The only thing we do know is it's killing Peter. Along with whatever is coursing throughout his body, he has a small stab wound. It won't paralyze him, it should heal, but it's going to hurt like a bitch and it is certainly not doing us any favors. He's lost a lot of blood, and he's extremely dehydrated." Cho's voice was calm but her eyes told a different story. 

_I'm sorry. I don't know if I can save him in time. He might not live._

"Was he... ever injected with anything? Recently?" Cho asked slowly.

"No, the last time was when-," Tony cut himself off and he drew in a sharp breath. "That bastard. That  _fucking_ bastard." Cho raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Ross. He sedated Peter before Rhodey took him back. I'm so stupid. Of course, he wouldn't just let him go. Of fucking course." Tony snapped his head up to look at Cho. "Do a CAT scan. Ross wouldn't have just injected him with a poison and let him die." Cho nodded and she rushed out of the room to get everything prepared. Tony stared at Peter's cold, pale body as he felt himself spiraling, anxiety crawling at his throat like a rabid animal. 

_Breathe. Inhale, exhale. He'll be fine. He's going to be okay._

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_He's going to be fine. He has to be fine._

_Peter._

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

"Everything is ready," Cho said softly, walking back to Tony's side. He didn't acknowledge her, just stared at his son who was  _dying_.

_You were supposed to be safe. Out of everyone else, it was you. You were supposed to live, you were supposed to be okay. You were supposed to be safe._

"Okay," he whispered. "Okay." He picked Peter up gently, tucking him away in his arms safely. 

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

**

"He has a chip in his neck. We have to do surgery to get it out."

Tony nodded, staring at Peter through the glass. 

"Stark." Tony turned his head to look at Cho, eyes red. "Get it out of him. FIx my son, Helen. I don't care what it takes. Make sure he lives."

Cho nodded, and said, "We'll do the surgery immediately. You can stay if you wish. I'm going to get everything ready." 

_I'm not leaving him. I'm never leaving him again. Especially if he's fucking dying. Never again. I promised._

_I promised I'd keep him safe, that he would be okay, that he would live._

_He'll be fine._

_He has to be fine._

**

The surgery went without a hitch. They easily removed the chip and it landed on the metal tray with a soft plink, but to Tony, it was a gunshot. The small noise echoed throughout the room, making everything else sound fuzzy. He stared at Peter and then the chip. 

_You're going to be fine, buddy. I love you. So much. You'll be fine and we'll be stuffing ourselves with ice cream and watching Star Wars in no time._

_I love you. You'll be fine. You have to be._

Tony cleared his throat and said, "Can I see the chip?" Cho handed it to him without another word, focusing on cleaning the blood and dirt off of Peter. Tony took it, heart clenching painfully when he saw how it was slick with Peter's blood, staining his hands red. He turned it in his hands, examining every inch of it. 

"I need a computer. The chip has something in it," Tony said, clenching it tightly in his fist. 

A few moments later, the chip was in and a gleaming message glared at Tony.

**

_You are so willing to do anything for your son. You should know by now, Stark. I hate you. But I have you figured out. I hurt Peter, I hurt you. This is a gift from me. Peter Parker has been injected with a neurotoxin that we created from his own blood. There will be a surprise at the end of all of this. When Pete's body burns through it, all hell will be unleashed on him. You were so naive. You let me inject your son with a sedative you didn't even see. You let your love for the boy blind you. You were so fucking stupid. I hope this breaks you._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because Ross died doesn't mean he's done hurting my children. Sorry;)  
> Tell me what you think in the comments:)  
> Also(feel free to skip this AN it's not really important): After this story is finished, it will be the end of these series, but I will have a new multi-chapter story up when everything with this series is done. So... there's that. It won't be up for a while because this story isn't completed but I just thought it'd be cool to let you guys know. Thank you guys for everything:)


	12. A long ass author's note, sorry

Someone pointed out that this work has a lot of similarities to another person's work, "And you'll blow us all away". 

Although I have read that work, I am not finished with it and I'm only a few chapters in. Going back through my own work, I can see how it might seem like I copied the author for "And you'll blow us all away", but that was never my intention. When I wrote the first few chapters of this work, I never read "And you'll blow us all away", I discovered it recently. I want to apologize for any confusion or any feelings of mistrust I might have caused because my work is somewhat similar to that author's. It was never my intention, I promise.

With that being said, this is in no way my way of shitting on the author for "And you'll blow us all away" or the person who told me about this in the comments. I personally am loving "And you'll blow us all away", the way that the author wrote it is amazing and has me totally hooked. That person's writing is something I would not ever be able to duplicate, just because it's so intricate and amazing. Also, I would never want to have people read my work and think it is not my own. For one thing, it is plagiarism, and I would never want to copy someone else's work and say it is my own. I would never want to take credit for someone else's work and achievements. 

losingmymindtonight(the author for "And you'll blow us all away) is an amazing writer. Although I think that her work is amazing, I would never ever want to copy her to make myself seem like a good writer. Her work is her own, and my work is my own. Her work is phenomenal, and you can clearly see how much work and effort she puts in her writing. In that way, she inspires me to be a better writer but I would never dream of stealing her works and ideas. 

I am truly sorry if it seems like I copied her or stole her ideas, once again it was never my intention. I would also like to apologize if I'm making this seem like a bigger deal than it is, but I want to make sure that everyone understands that I would never do something like copying another person's work that they have spent time making sure it is good for their readers. 

I started reading "I'll make a million mistakes" by the same author first because I came across that one before "And you'll blow us all away". Once I found out it was the sequel, I went back to read "And you'll blow us all away".

I hope everyone understands that I in no way meant to copy anyone and I don't mean to hate or shit on anyone either. Once again, I apologize. If this makes you lose interest in this story, I genuinely am sorry. Thank you all for those who understand and read my work, it means a lot:)

 


	13. Chapter  11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who was supporting and understanding in the comments. To express my gratitude, here's a new chapter. I really love you guys:)))

_You are so willing to do anything for your son. You should know by now, Stark. I hate you. But I have you figured out. I hurt Peter, I hurt you. This is a gift from me. Peter Parker has been injected with a neurotoxin that we created from his own blood. There will be a surprise at the end of all of this. When Pete's body burns through it, all hell will be unleashed on him. You were so naive. You let me inject your son with a sedative you didn't even see. You let your love for the boy blind you. You were so fucking stupid. I hope this breaks you._

Tony stared at the bright letters against his screen until they smeared together until it was nothing but a mess of black lines against white. 

_All hell will be unleashed._

_Surprise._

_I hurt Peter, I hurt you._

Tony shut his eyes tightly. The computer in front of him made a small noise and Tony opened his eyes once again to be greeted by more words.

_Like I said, the boy's body will burn through the toxin. You can't create a cure. Just let it run its course. The toxin will remain active for five hours, and he will be unconscious for three of them. During those three hours, he will indeed be dying. I have this all planned out, Stark. His organs will be shutting down just right on the edge of death. During the next two hours the toxin lasts, Mister Parker's body will heal itself but leave something in return. It won't kill him, I'll say that much. Whether or not it effects him permanently... well that's entirely up to you. Pray your intellect comes to use, Stark. It's the only thing that will "fix" him so to say. Although it's your lack of intellect that got you into this situation, is it not? Good luck, Stark._

The screen blanked out to black, but Tony only saw red. 

_Red like blood._

_Like... Peter's blood._

_Peter bleeding_

_Peter dying_

_Peter dead_

Tony stood up so abruptly the chair flipped. Then a thought him and he immediately rushed to Peter's side.

_Three out of five hours._

_He was on the jet for a little over an hour, and the surgery and CAT scan combined roughly into two._

_He should be awake_

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_Wake up, bud. Please._

Tony pulled the chair back so that it was directly next to Peter's bed and gripped his hand tightly. Cho walked over to Tony's side and gently tapped his wrist. When Tony tore his eyes away from Peter to look at the doctor, Cho said, "You need your rest too, you know."

Tony's expression morphed from tired and defeated to angry in a second. 

"My son is dying. Believe me when I say I won't be leaving him to  _sleep_." 

Cho folded her arms and replied with an equally intense glare. "I never said anything about sleeping, Stark. But you do need an IV and it won't do your son any good if you pass out." Tony glared at the doctor stubbornly before breaking off with a sigh. 

"I'm not good for him no matter what I do. He deserves the world, you know? But instead, he got stuck with me. He didn't deserve a fucked up piece of shit for a father but that's what he got. He didn't deserve to be tortured and experimented on, but he did. That's because of me. He didn’t-doesn’t- deserve to die but that’s because of me. He’s fucking _dying_ because of me-,”

"Don't say that please."

Tony snapped his head around to look at where the voice came from.

_PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

To Tony's horror, tears were shining in Peter's still to pale face.

"You c-can't," Peter's words were stopped by a hacking cough. When he regained his breath he looked at Tony. "Don't blame yourself for what happens to me. And I don't need the world. Just you. I only ever need you. So please don't make it sound like you're going to leave me just like everyone else I cared about did." Peter said with a wet sniffle, staring at his father's eyes with his own tear rimmed ones. Tony's face softened and he reached out his hand to touch Peter's cheek lightly. 

"I told you I wouldn't leave, kiddo. I promised, remember? I just wish I was better for you," Tony said, catching one of Peter's tears with the pad of his thumb. Peter reached up and grabbed Tony's wrist. "You don't have to be. I just want you. I don't care if you don't think you're enough, I think so, and I want you. I just need you, Dad." Peter's bottom lip trembled, and with it Tony's heart; he loved this kid so fucking much. Tony shot a small smile at him and moved his hand so it lay directly on top of Peter's chest.

"I love you so much, Peter. To much to leave you." Peter let out a small smile that quickly morphed into a wince. Tony's eyes widened and he frantically moved his hands to search for a wound they might have missed or for whatever was causing Peter pain. 

"Peter? What's wrong bud? What hurts?" he asked worriedly. Peter let out a small grunt and squirmed in the bed as another wave of pain consumed him. When the pain subsided to a small throb he said softly, "I'm fine. Just hurts a little."

_It hurts a lot. It hurts a lot, Dad. I'm sorry. Hold me, please. TonyTonyTonyTony_

Tony could see it in Peter's eyes and he curled up next to his son on the small cot, gently placing his chin on Peter's head.

"I love you, buddy. I'm sorry I can't do anything," he whispered, occupying himself by tangling his fingers into Peter's hair. 

"Mmm, you're here. That alone is more than enough," Peter mumbled, turning around so that his face was pressed into Tony's shirt. Tony clenched his arm tighter around his son and together they lied in silence, taking comfort in each other's company. 

Cho lightly touched Peter on his back before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly.

**

Tony could feel Peter's body tense against his chest.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Tony murmured, gently rubbing his thumb against Peter's temple. Peter exhaled shakily and said, "I'm fine." He winced again and then whispered, "It's nothing I can't handle." Tony felt his heart contract painfully. 

"I'm sorry, Pete. I'd take your place if I could."

"I wouldn't want you to. Rather it be me than you."

"Yeah?" Tony whispered against Peter's hair, the curly strands tickling his nose. 

"Yeah. If you're safe, I'm safe."

"What did I do to get you, Peter?"

"Dunno. What did I do to get you?"

"Whatever it is, I'm glad you did," Tony said, smiling a little.

"Me too." Peter hummed happily when Tony started gently running his hand down Peter's face. For a few moments, the two were silent, Peter pressing his face deeper into Tony's shirt and Tony taking in every feature on Peter's youthful face.

"Dad?" Peter mumbled sleepily. Tony hugged him a bit closer and responded, "Yeah, kiddo?"

"'M sleepy," Peter mumbled against Tony's chest. Tony froze as he recalled Ross's words.

_During the next two hours the toxin lasts, Mister Parker's body will heal itself but leave something in return._

Had it really been two hours? Tony glanced back at Peter, who's breathing was slowing down considerably. 

_But leave something in return._

Tony could feel his heart rate spiking at the idea of something happening to Peter again. He placed Peter's head right underneath his chin and ran a finger along his jawline all the way down to his chest where he placed his palm directly against Peter's heart. 

"You alright?" Peter asked, words starting to slur together. Tony exhaled. 

"I'm fine. Get some rest, Pete. The pain should be gone when you wake up again."

"You'll be here right?"

"Of course. Never leaving, remember?"

_I don't know what will happen when you wake up. But I'll be here for you. I'll always be here for you._

"G'night, Dad. Love you."

_I love you too, buddy. I'm so scared for what's going to happen when you wake up. But I'll be here. I promise. I love you so much, Peter._

"I love you more, Pete."

Maybe Peter heard it, maybe he didn't. But he knew.

And so, the rush of darkness overwhelmed him and he let himself be taken under.

**

He felt something around him, covering most of his body. As if it were shielding him from something. Someone? But it wasn't dangerous. It was comforting. He felt safe. Content. He leaned in closer because whatever it was, it made him feel happy. Happy and safe. He likes happy and safe. 

"Peter? You awake bud?"

So a person was holding him. The name latched on to him.

_PeterPeterPeterPeter_

_Who's Peter?_

"Who's Peter?" he asks because he wants to know. 

_Am I Peter?_

He feels the man holding him inhale sharply and he flinches because the man doesn't feel comforting anymore. He feels worried.

"Are you my dad?" he asks and somehow the thought makes him feel safer. This man has to be his father. It felt right. 

The man made a small choking sound and he felt a rush of fear spike through him.

"Peter? Please tell me this isn't a game," the man whispered and he felt the man's arms tighten around him. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

_Peter? PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter_

_Am I Peter?_

"I-I can't remember. Why can't I remember?" his breathing starts turning frantic and the man holds him even tighter.

_SafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe_

_This is safe_

_This man is safe._

_Man? Dad?_

_Dad._

"It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out," the man(his dad?) assures. But he can hear the levels of panic hidden in the man's tone.

"I can't remember  _anything_. I-I don't know who I am. I don't know who  _you_ are," he whispers and he feels the man flinch when he says, "I don't know who you are."

"We'll figure it out. I'm your dad, yes. You're Peter. Everything is going to be fine."

He( _Peter, he reminded himself_ ) trusted the man. The man- no, his dad- was safe. 

"Okay," he( _Peter_ _)_ whispers 

_Everything is going to be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to everyone who was supportive and understanding. It means so much to me, thank you. I love you guys.


	14. Chapter 12

If Ross wasn't already dead, Tony would have killed him in the most painful way possible.

_Mister Parker's body will heal itself but leave something in return._

It left memory loss. Fucking memory loss. 

Out of everything that could have happened, Tony didn't expect memory loss of all things-

"I'm sorry."

Classic Peter. Apologizing for everything that wasn't even his fault. Tony turned his face away from Peter's hair to look at his son.

"None of this is your fault, Peter. Don't worry about it. I'll fix this," he promised, feeling a rush of guilt when Peter looked back at him undoubtingly.

_No. You shouldn't just blindly trust me, I put you in this position, I made you like this I-_

"It isn't your fault either. I may not remember everything, but I know that I trust you." Peter hesitated and then said, "I know that I love you. And I know that you can fix this. I trust you." Tony smiled at Peter although his entire being was screaming,  _PeterPeterPeterPeter. I'll fix this, I have to fix this. PeterPeterPeterPeter._

"I'm going to go with you to one of the doctors here, okay? They're going to help," he said, running a hand down Peter's back. Peter looked hesitant and then nodded. 

"You trust them, right?" Peter asked nervously. 

"Of course, kiddo. I wouldn't take you anywhere if I thought it was unsafe," Tony said.

_Unlike people like Ross who took you from me. People who hurt you. People who wiped your goddamn memory._

"Okay, then. If you trust them so do I," Peter decided. "Are we going right now?"

_Right now? But then you won't be in my arms, you won't be lying here with me._

"Yeah, kiddie. The sooner the better right?" Peter scrunched his nose and shrugged. "I guess. We can stay if you want. I don't mind." Tony pressed Peter into his chest and buried his face into his son's hair once more before sitting up. The sooner Peter gets checked out, the sooner Tony could fix this. Climbing out of the bed slowly, he reached out a hand to Peter. 

"You ready, bud?" he asked. Peter nodded, taking Tony's hand and jumping out of the bed. When he landed on the floor, he almost crumpled as a wave of pain consumed him. Tony steadied him with a worried look.

"You okay, kiddo?" Peter nodded and tried standing up again only to collapse to the ground again. Tony caught him by the shoulder. 

"Peter?"  _PeterPeterPeterPeter_

"I don't think I can walk," Peter whispered, voice laced with pain.

"What's wrong, Pete?" Tony asked, eyes widening. His breathing turned frantic and he scooped Peter up into his arms, gently laying his head on Tony's shoulder.

"It hurts," Peter whispered, clenching his eyes shut. 

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry buddy. I'm going to try and fix it, alright? I'm sorry._

"I'm going to fix this," Tony promised. "Just hang on, okay? I'm sorry, buddy." Peter blinked sluggishly before fixing his gaze on Tony. Tony swallowed back a sob when he saw that Peter's eyes, as clouded with pain as they were, held an infinite amount of trust and love. It made Tony's heart ache, knowing that even though Peter had no memory of him he trusted him. 

"I trust you," Peter said, dropping his head back onto Tony's shoulder. 

_But should you? Everything that has happened to you, that's because of me. You're in pain right now because of me._

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Peter?"

"Stop talking, please. I might not have my memories but I trust you for a reason. And I know you're going to fix this. This isn't your fault." Peter's words were quiet, but Tony heard them. And it's just so cliche, isn't it, having said your thoughts out loud without knowing it? Tony didn't respond, just press a kiss to the crown of Peter's head. 

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Tony asked, slowly walking down the hall to where Cho was. 

"I'm sure you did," Peter responded. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know you'll fix this." Tony flexed his arms protectively against Peter when he felt the teenager wince in pain. 

_I'm going to fix this. I promise. No matter what it takes._

**

"So he doesn't remember anything?" 

Tony nodded and gave Peter's hand a small squeeze from where he was sitting. Peter smiled softly through the pain and squeezed his father's hand back. 

"Okay. Peter," Cho said, redirecting her focus onto the teenager, "How much pain are you in? And where?" 

"Oh, um. It's not that bad. I guess. Yeah. I can handle it. Um, it's kind of... everywhere? It kind of... throbs? I'm sorry, I don't really know how to describe it." Peter cast his gaze downwards. 

"That's alright. I'm here to help, Peter. Any bit of information is useful. We're going to figure this out," Cho smiled assuredly. Peter nodded and turned his head to look at Tony. The billionaire leaned his son's head on his shoulder and ran his fingers through the teenager's curls with his free hand. Peter looked up at his father with a small smile and leaned into his side.

"I can get you something for the pain. Considering your metabolism, you'll need an IV drip for a few hours to get the drug fully pumping in your body. As for the memory loss... we can run some tests, go through whatever data was in the chip and we can proceed from there."

Peter looked at Cho questionably. 

"Chip? And what do you mean 'my metabolism'?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Cho gave a sideways glare to Tony and folded her arms. 

"I'm going to borrow Tony for just a second, is that alright?" Cho asked Peter, her death stare on Tony not relenting. Peter bit his lower lip and noticeably sat closer to Tony. His father tugged him closer to his side and said, "Just for a little bit, Peter. Don't worry about it. I'll be back as soon as I receive my much needed lecture which will undoubtedly consist of profanity and yelling. What kind of father would I be to let you hear such foul language?" 

Peter cracked a small smile and nodded feebly. Cho placed her hand lightly on the teenager's shoulder before grabbing Tony's arm and dragging him down the hall where Peter's enhanced hearing hopefully wouldn't be able to hear them.

"What have you told him?" she asked quietly, eyes cold. Tony sighed and ran his hand down his face tiredly. 

"Nothing. Of course, I want his memories back. But in the meantime, this means that he doesn't remember Ross. He doesn't remember Toomes. He doesn't remember that he fucking killed someone. And when he does get his memories back, I know those things are going to haunt him. Toomes was already hard enough for him to get over, and he still gets nightmares. He doesn't remember that his aunt died in front of him, just as his uncle did. He was beating himself over Ben's death and now, with May's? Of course, none of it is his fucking fault, but Peter has the biggest guilt, hero complex shit ever. He doesn't remember that his parents died when he was fucking six. He's innocent right now. And he out of everybody else in this goddamn world deserves peace. So if he has it, why not let him indulge in it while it's available?" Tony broke off with a swallow. 

"Tony, I understand you. I really do. But is it really worth it? Who knows when Peter will get his memories back? Or if he ever will?"

"He _will,_ " Tony insisted. "I can figure it out. I have to."

"But what if you don't?" Cho asked gently. "Do you really want him to be living without his memories for an unknown amount of time?"

"Wait. He doesn't remember everything. What if we're making this harder than it is? Shouldn't we just be able to tell him?"

"It isn't the same thing. You can tell him, but he won't  _remember_ it. Everything Peter's been through, that is what makes your son today. Besides, what about all the good memories? His first time meeting you, and then eventually becoming close enough to call you 'Dad'? Do you really want him loving you without actually knowing why he loves you so damn much?"

"I just... he isn't weighed down by the burden of his past right now. We can get him something for the pain, and he's fine. Happy. He's a normal-," Tony's eyes widened. 

"What?" Cho asked.

"Spiderman. Peter doesn't know he's Spiderman," Tony breathed before running down the hall and bursting into the room they were in before once again. 

"D-dad?" Peter asked, staring at his hand with worry in his eyes. Tony took in the sight of Peter stuck on the wall by his hand and shook his head. 

"W-what the h-hell is this?" Peter breathed.

_Peter._

_SpidermanSpidermanSpidermanSpiderman_

"Peter, we should talk. Can you... try to unstick yourself?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jbjdskfbsjhslfhidf it's so short, I'm sorry. You guys deserve better. I'll try and make it up with the next chapter. Unfortunately, I have some personal issues right now so I don't know when I'll be able to update. Maybe on Wednesday? I'm sorry guys:(  
> Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. Have a good day/night, I love you guys:)


	15. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to the people who left nice comments. I'm sorry if I didn't respond to yours, but I did read them. thanks for understanding:)

Peter bit his lower lip to bite back a moan of pain when Tony stood up to leave. Tony saw the gesture and looked at him worriedly, hand frozen on the doorknob.  Peter inhaled and then exhaled quietly, mouthing "I'm fine," to his... dad. It was strange, not having any memories of the man who claimed to be his father, but Peter didn't doubt it. He felt the protectiveness and love radiating from the man's body. Through the hazy cloud of memory loss, Peter  _ felt. _ He could feel his own love and dependency for him and how safe Tony made him feel whenever he slipped an arm around the teenager. 

_ PeterPeterPeterPeter _

_ My name is Peter. _

_ I have a dad. _

_ His name is Tony. _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

_ He and I were held captive- _

Peter cried out and fell against the wall, clutching it tightly for support. A rush of pain tore through his head like lightning and spread to the rest of his body, making Peter clench his eyes shut as another wave of pure agony consumed him. When the pain subsided to a dull throb, Peter moved to lift his hand off the wall and frowned at it when it stuck stubbornly. He gripped the arm and tried yanking it off, feeling a rush of panic when his hand stuck to his right wrist. 

Tony burst in suddenly, eyes frantic when they landed on him.

"D-dad?"

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

_ Help me, help me, help me _

_ What the hell is happening? _

_ Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck? _

"W-what the h-hell is this?" Peter breathed out, staring at his hand with fear and then looking up at Tony with worry. Tony walked over to Peter and gently placed his hand on Peter's hands. He ran a finger against Peter's wrist lightly.

"Peter, we should talk. Can you... try to unstick yourself?" 

_ I did try. I am trying.  _

_ Get me free, get me free, get me free _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

Being stuck on the wall made Peter's heart race in fear and he felt himself desperately tugging his wrists, a distant memory of being restrained, not able to move, and bright lights pounding beneath his eyes. 

_ They're going to take me away, they're going to hurt me, and I can't move, can't fight- _

_ I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't- _

"Peter, you need to breathe, buddy. You can do it, c'mon. You're going to be okay," Tony moved his hand to Peter's hair, threading his fingers softly in Peter's curls.

_ PeterPeterPeterPeter _

_ I don't wanna forget _

_ I can't remember anything, why can't I remember anything, why can't I breathe- _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

Tony would keep Peter safe. He was sure of it. Tony could make Peter breathe, Tony would fix it. Peter was overcome with a need to be in Tony's arms,  _ to be safe _ , and he strained against the wall until his hand popped off of the wall and his wrist was released. He fell against his father, clutching himself to Tony's chest and curling his fingers into his shirt. 

The gesture felt so familiar as if he had done it countless times before.

_ White lights, cold table, syringes, scalpels- _

Peter groaned as another wave of pain shook his body. 

"Peter!"

_ Cutting, cutting, cutting _

"Breathe, Peter. You're fine. I got you. You're fine. Just breathe, buddy."

_ Blood, blood, blood. There's so much blood. _

"I-I c-can't-,"

"Yes, you can. Just breathe, kiddo."

_ Tony. Tony made him feel safe. Tony held him when he was hurt. Tony tugged him to his chest, ran his fingers through his hair, Tony made sure he was safe. Tony held him and made sure that he was breathing. _

"Just like that kiddo. C'mon, breathe with me."

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

The sound of Tony's heartbeat flooded in Peter's ear and he felt himself breathing. He inhaled and then exhaled repeatedly, making sure that  _ he was fine, he was breathing, he was safe _ . 

The lights disappeared and Peter blinked, a tear dripping down his cheek. All that was there was Tony and his arms.

_ The room is small. Not safe. There's still blood. _

_ But Tony's holding him, his arms are wrapped around him, and Peter's face is safely tucked into Tony's chest. _

_ Peter is safe. _

"You okay, Pete?" Tony asked softly, hand moving from his hair to his face to gently wipe the tear away with the pad of his thumb. He flicked it away and ran his finger back and forth against Peter's wet cheek. Peter leaned into the touch, breathing.  

_ Was he okay? _

_ Okayokayokayokayokay _

_ Okay is a beautiful word _

"Thank you," he whispered, turning his head into his father's chest. "I'm fine."

He felt Tony's chest rise and fall rhythmically and Tony replied, "Anytime, Peter. Anytime," softly. "I love you."

Peter lifted his head from Tony's chest to look at his father in the face. 

"I love you too," he said. "That's the one thing I know. And the one thing I'll always know. I love you." Tony smiled softly and gently brought Peter's head back down to his chest. "I love you more, kiddie. So much, Peter. I love you so much."

Peter smiled into Tony's shirt, eyes starting to droop. His body slowly released all of its tension and Peter melted into Tony's body. Tony ran his hand down Peter's back and for a moment the two just sat there, on the ground,  _ breathing _ .

The teenager broke the silence first.

"Talk?" Peter mumbled against Tony's chest, the word muffled by Tony's shirt. 

"We can do it later if you want, buddy. It's alright if you want to sleep or rest." A rush of fear ran through Peter when he felt how helpless he had felt when he was stuck on the wall, and the memory trying to surface. 

"Later."

_ No scalpels. No syringes. No bright lights. _

_ Just you. _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

_ Just you, your arms around me, and your heart beating. _

He didn't want to relive it. He knew he needed to, but not right now. He was so comfortable, lying in Tony's arms, face smushed against the spot where the arc reactor used to be. He was safe, and he didn't want to change that. He dimly heard the sound of the doctor entering the room again but dismissed it quickly. He ignored the conversation being exchanged between the two adults, drowning out the sound of their voices by listening to the steady beat of Tony's heart. He uncurled his fingers from Tony's shirt and opted to place it flat against where his father's heart was. Tony placed his own hand on top of Peter's lightly and continued talking to the doctor, occasionally running his thumb against Peter's hand.

_ This is my dad. This is Tony.  _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

_ Tony is always there.  _

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

_ I love you, Tony. _

_ That's the one thing that I know and that will stay constant.  _

_ I love you, I love you, I love you. _

And Peter felt safe.

_ TonyTonyTonyTony _

**

Tony carried Peter into his room slowly, making sure that all of Peter's small body was tucked away safely in his arms so that Peter wouldn't be bumped into anything on the way there. Peter hummed in contentment and readjusted himself so that his arms were wrapped around Tony's neck and his legs were around his waist. The teenager let his head drop on Tony's shoulder. 

_ I love you. _

Tony opened the door and crossed the room to lay Peter gently down on the bed, making sure to wrap the blanket around him comfortably. When Peter was fully situated, he crossed the bed so that he was lying next to Peter, wrapping his arms around his son and tucking his head under his chin so that every inch of Peter was covered. Safe. Protected. It didn't take long for Peter to fall asleep, head resting on his father's neck, thin arms wrapped around Tony. Occupying himself with Peter's hair, Tony thought about what he could do. He toyed with a curl wrapped around his finger, as a list of possibilities ran through his mind.

_ Ross said it was made with Peter's blood. Whatever was poisoning him was made with Peter's blood. So does that mean Peter's blood left the memory loss? But it was also a sedative. That means Ross created something with a sedative and blood. _

_ Peter has no clue about anything and feels pain.  _

_ The sedative was a neurotoxin in disguise. _

_ The neurotoxin was supposedly flushed out. But it left memory loss. Does that mean there's still something in Peter? Or is it an effect of the serum? _

_ Ross experimented on him. He could have been injecting him with multiple serums just to see how they work on him and to create new ones. This could be a withdrawal symptom? But that doesn't seem likely. Ross wouldn't just inject Peter and make him lose his memory for withdrawal.  _

_ I don't know, I don't know, I don't know _

_ I need someone who specializes in biochemistry. Or anything medical. Or someone who can magically fix this. _

Tony shot up suddenly, startling Peter. 

_ Of course. _

"Tony? Are you okay?"

_ Yeah, kiddo. I can fix you, I just need help.  _

Tony smiled, a smile so large, so genuine that Peter couldn't help but smile too. 

"Yeah, bud. I just got an idea to help you."

_ You're going to be fine, Peter.  _

Peter tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. 

"I think it's time to call a magical asshat and my favorite green rage monster."

_ We can fix you. _

Peter's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Magical asshat? Green rage monster?"

"Oh and Sam. He has some medical knowledge, I suppose." Tony gathered Peter into his arms once more and laughed into Peter's hair. Peter, a bit baffled, snuggled into the touch and smiled. 

_ PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter _

"So who exactly are we calling?"

"A wizard. Sorcerer Supreme. Whatever the hell he goes by. We're gonna give a call to one Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, and a Sam Wilson." Tony pulled his face away from Peter's hair to cup his son's face. Peter's eyes stared back at him, curiosity and love raging throughout his pupils. 

_ PeterPeterPeterPeterPeter _

_ You're going to be okay.  _

_ And everything will be fine. _

"And we're gonna fix you, buddy. You're going to be alright."

_ You're going to be alright. I'll fix everything and you'll be fine, and we can spend an eternity watching Star Wars and eating ice cream. We can spend eternity being the most domestic people ever. You're going to be just fine, kiddo. _

_ PeterPeterPeterPeter _

_ You're going to be alright.  _


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. So I know I disappeared for a while. I had a lot of personal issues I was going through, and during that time I couldn't write. But, here's the new chapter, and I'm back:)

"What about Wanda? Can she do anything?" Tony asked desperately. 

 

He had tried. Strange was in Europe and couldn't come back to help. 

 

[ _"I'm sorry, Tony. I know how much he means to you, but I can't leave right now. I'm in Europe and I have my own problems. I'm really sorry."_

 

_"It's fine. I understand. Tell Wong I said hi and that my wedding invitation still stands."_

 

_"Do I not get an invite?"_

 

_"I'll let the kid decide when he's all nice and fixed up."_

 

_"I'm actually sorry, Tony. I wish I could help."_

 

_"It's fine. I'll figure it out."_ ]

 

Damn magical wizard bullshit. 

 

So, he had tried Bruce. Unfortunately, Bruce was occupied with Thor in New Asgard doing who knows what.

 

[ _"We're trying to relocate everyone and get everything sorted. I'm really swamped Tony, and I can't just leave Thor and Loki to do this on their own."_

 

_"Right, so it's not because you and Thor are making out?"_

 

_"We are not!" Bruce sputtered indignantly._

 

_"Uh huh."_

 

_"Tony!"_

 

_"It's fine Brucie. Don't turn all green on me. I'll figure it out."_

 

_"I'm really sorry."_

 

_"It's fine. I can figure it out_.]

 

And then he had tried Sam. Sam who was only a floor below him right now, Sam who had medical knowledge.

 

Not enough, apparently.

 

[ _"Tony, this is beyond me. I don't know how to deal with this kind of shit, man."_ ]

 

So, Wanda. Surely Wanda could help. She was in the compound, she was in the same building, she had the powers to fix Peter's mind. Or hopefully. She could mess with his mind until he got his memories back. Tony was sure of it.

 

"Tony-,"

 

"Steve, unless I hear from Wanda specifically that she can't do it, I don't want to hear any form of 'no' that comes out of your star-spangled ass," Tony snapped. Steve folded his arms and said, "Tony, I know this frustrating, okay? I'm just-,"

 

"No, Steve. You don't know. You don't know what it's like to have your fucking kid kidnapped, then tortured, and then as soon as he's fixed he's kidnapped and tortured again. And once that bullshit was resolved, he didn't even get a chance to recover. Because he has fucking memory loss. You don't know what it's like for that kind of bullshit to happen to your son," Tony said flatly. Steve's face softened and he said, "Wanda's a kid. She's like my kid. Tony, you of all people know what it's like when your kid gets hurt. Or if something horrible happens to them. You know that Wanda doesn't like using her powers, especially on people."

 

And god damn it, Tony did know. He knows that Wanda went through a really fucked up experience, her and Peter both. They went through it together, after all, Peter and Wanda. God damn it, Tony  _knew_.

 

**

 

_Peter's body felt like it was being torn apart, which it basically was. Every fiber of his being was getting ripped away from him, fading and drifting away like the ashes of a leftover fire._

 

_Ashes, Peter mused, that's ironic. The pain soon faded to a dull throb and Peter stood up, taking in his orange-tinted surroundings. There was nothing. Nothing but the ground beneath him and the tainted sky above him. Not a single person._

 

_Not a single soul._

 

_Until there was._

 

_**_

 

_"I lost my parents."_

 

_"I did too."_

 

_"My uncle died because of me."_

 

_"The person I loved the most died because of me."_

 

_"I couldn't get that damn gauntlet off, I caused billions of people to die-,"_

 

_"I tore the Avengers apart. My brother died saving one of them, and instead of doing the same, I tore them apart."_

 

_"We're pretty messed up aren't we?"_

 

_"We are. But we're messed up together, and that makes it a little better."_

 

_"I'm glad I have you, Wanda."_

 

_"Yeah? I'm glad I have you too, Peter."_

 

_**_

 

_"It wasn't your fault, you know," Peter tilted his head to look at Wanda questionably. She nodded at him and said, "Your uncle dying. You not getting the gauntlet off. Neither is your fault."_

 

_"You know my uncle died. When I tell you how you might think differently."_

 

_"You don't need to tell me. I know it's not your fault."_

 

_"Yeah, well. It is. Was. Whatever. And me not getting that gauntlet off... I have super strength, Wanda. I lifted a god damn concrete building off of myself, how did I not get a freaking glove off?"_

 

_"It wasn't your fault."_

 

_"No logic to back off your claim?"_

 

_"No. I know I'm right."_

 

_"Yeah?"_

 

_"Yeah. You and Stark, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You have the biggest guilt complex ever, Peter."_

 

_"The worst part is, I almost got it off. I should have been stronger, quicker, you know?"_

 

_"Do you trust me?"_

 

_Peter blinked in surprise at the sudden question. "I-yeah. Of course. You know more about me than most people."_

 

_"Then trust me when I say that none of this is your fault."_

 

_"You're a sneaky witch." Peter laughed and then said, "Get it?"_

 

_"Shut up, Peter."_

 

_"Okay," Peter paused for a moment before saying, "None of this is your fault either." Wanda glanced at the teen from the side of her eye and hummed a little. "I suppose I walked into that one, didn't I?"_

 

_"Yup."_

 

_"Well, I trust you. Doesn't change anything, but I do. You should know that."_

 

_"Thanks, Wanda."_

 

_**_

 

_"Something is coming," Peter whispered dramatically. Wanda rolled her eyes and lightly slugged Peter on the arm. "Oh yes. Probably dust."_

 

_"Too soon."_

 

_"I figured." Wanda sighed and then said, "I'm going to get you out of here."_

 

_Peter smiled at her and said, "You're coming too. I swear, Wanda. And then I can finally show you Star Wars." Wanda laughed and said, "Okay. It's a plan."_

 

_"Something is coming, though," Peter said suddenly. Wanda looked at him worriedly and said, "I thought your spider senses didn't work here?"_

 

_Peter frowned and said, "They don't. Didn't. Um, but I guess now it's a buzz or something. Kind of like a pounding. I don't know."_

 

_"Is it dangerous?"_

 

_"I don't know. It feels kind of peaceful, honestly."_

_"Peaceful?"_

 

_"Yeah," Peter smiled. "Safe. Like something is coming to rescue us maybe?"_

 

_And for the first time in a while, Wanda held onto the idea with leaving this orange world._

 

_**_

 

_"I'm not leaving without you."_

 

_The wormhole wouldn't stay open forever. They both knew that. They also knew it would only take one person at a time._

 

_"It's not even a day."_

 

_"I don't care. I told you I would get you out of here."_

 

_"And I will. I will, Wanda. But you need to go first."_

 

_"Peter-,"_

 

_"I'm coming right after you. You'll be able to deal without me for a little."_

 

_Wanda crossed her arms and Peter came closer. He wrapped his thin arms around her waist and said, "Go. I'll be right after you, I promise."_

 

_"I'm holding you accountable," Wanda huffed, a tear streaking her face. Peter reached up to wipe it away with a grin. "I have a scary girlfriend at home waiting for me. And May. Oh, God, May. You need to pray for me, Wanda."_

 

_"Hmph."_

 

_"Go."_

 

_And Wanda left, Peter smiling behind her and waving._

 

_**_

 

And Peter had come back. Right after her. It seemed like forever, but he came back.

 

**

 

_"Peter!"_

 

_Tony had yelled and ran to the slowly appearing clump of ashes that was bringing his son back. Peter looked around sluggishly before his eyes landed on Tony._

 

_And then he was running, he was flying, and he collapsed into Tony's arms, a beautiful, breathing, sobbing, alive, mess._

 

_But he was Tony's mess and Tony couldn't stop running his fingers into Peter's sweaty curls, couldn't stop reaching for his pulse point, couldn't stop hugging him closer._

 

_"Tony-,"_

 

_"I know, squirt. God, kid, I know."_

 

_Peter turned his head into Tony's shirt and sobbed, his tears soaking the fabric._

 

_"I-, I couldn't- Tony-," Peter gasped out and Tony held him as he cried, tangling his fingers into Peter's hair and just whispering strings of, "You'll be okay. I got you."_

 

_And it was perfect because his son was there, and everything was so fucking perfect._

 

**

 

But Wanda didn't have a perfect to return to. Wanda had the dead body of her lover and the sympathies of Steve. But she didn't have anyone to collide into.

 

**

 

_"Is he- did you-," Wanda choked out, green eyes glancing around frantically for a person who she wouldn't be able to hold again. Tony stepped forward and said gently, "I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I am."_

 

_Tony couldn't have hated her. Even after the Accords and everything went to absolute shit, Wanda was a kid. She was a kid who was collared like a fucking dog, and Tony couldn't hold it against her after seeing her on the Raft._

 

_It was one of the main reasons he disabled the security systems to let Steve through, why when Ross called he left him on hold, why he said, "Fuck this," to every single goddamn thing that ever came out of Ross's mouth._

 

_Wanda let out a small sob and stumbled backward, hand reaching blindly for someone who wasn't there. Peter caught her when she fell and Tony watched in silence how his hand automatically reached up to her back, how he had held her as she sobbed, how he barely winced as tendrils of red escaped Wanda's body and exploding around her, tearing down the trees but somehow Peter was left standing._

 

_Tony watched as Peter and Wanda cling to each other like a lifeline._

 

_He knew that something had happened between them, and he felt a rush of gratitude towards the young Sokovian._

 

**

 

"Your kid, Rogers?" Wanda smirked, leaning against the doorway.

 

Tony spun around to face her but before he could say a word she said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Wanda's smile disappeared. She inhaled shakily and said, "If Peter is anything short of perfect, I will do anything to help. Right now my own fear can wait." Steve crossed the room to reach for her and she let herself be swallowed by Steve's massive frame. "You know you don't have to," he whispered. Wanda smiled up at him softly and then glanced at Tony.

 

"It's Peter. My brother. I'm not losing another one."

 

Tony went to stand next to the young woman and Steve stepped aside. Tony placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Thank you, Wanda." Wanda nodded and Tony hesitated before engulfing her in a hug. The girl froze for a moment before returning it warmly. 

 

"Where is he?"

 

"Asleep. As much as I want to fix this, this will be his last chance before the nightmares and-,"

 

Tony was suddenly cut off with an ear piercing scream that he immediately identified as Peter.

 

_PeterPeterPeterPeter_

 

His world whited out and he dimly recognized the blur of his surroundings as he ran like his life-and it was his life because if Peter was hurt, _if Peter wasn't there_ , he knew he wouldn't have a life anymore- depended on it.

 

**

Tony burst into Peter's room, Steve and Wanda right behind him. They both froze at the doorway when they saw Peter tangled in his sheets, hands clawing at his stomach, still screaming. 

 

Tony didn't though. He knew exactly what to do. He quickly crossed the room to Peter's bed before scooping up the teenager in his arms and gently prying Peter's hands away from his stomach. Steve and Wanda watched in muted wonder as Peter's small hands immediately latched onto Tony's shirt. Tony kept one arm securely around Peter's thin frame and his free hand moved to Peter's hair automatically, getting lost in the soft strands. Peter let out another heartwrenching scream and Steve could feel Wanda tense next to him. Tony rubbed a hand comfortingly against Peter's back and whispered, "It's okay bud. You're fine. You're safe, and you're gonna be okay."

 

Steve gestured for Wanda and together the two left, leaving Tony and Peter alone. Tony noticed and let out a quiet sigh of relief and felt a rush of gratitude alongside the worry that was coursing throughout his body. 

 

He felt Peter's hand tense and his heart clenched painfully as Peter screamed again. Tony continued rubbing his hand on Peter's back and kept threading his fingers into his kid's hair, trying not to drown at the overwhelming feeling of not being able to help the one person he loved most.

 

**

 

Eventually, Peter's screams died down and Tony set him back onto the bed gently before moving to sit down next to him, hands securing the blanket around Peter's shoulders. Before Tony's hands could move away, Peter leaned into him and Tony smiled softly before running a fingertip down Peter's face lightly. Peter let out a small moan and Tony felt his stomach swoop, and his hands froze. Peter let out another moan and Tony decided to just wake him up. 

 

Lightly shaking his kid's shoulder and brushing the curls away from Peter's forehead, he whispered, "C'mon, Pete. Wake up, buddy." Peter turned slightly and his eyes fluttered before opening slightly. They grew wide as he glanced around frantically before letting out a small sigh when they landed on his father. Tony picked up Peter and hugged him to his chest. Peter let his eyes shut again before his body relaxed. He turned his face into Tony's chest, hands wrapping around his father tightly. 

 

For a while, the two laid there silently, taking comfort in each other's breathing the rising and falling of each other's chests reminding them both that everything was okay.

 

Tony broke the silence first. 

 

"You okay, Pete?" Peter let out a small nod and swallowed before saying, "I don't know what happened. It was just so much, and then my body felt like it was on fire, and it was so painful-," he choked off with a small sob and Tony could feel the pain radiating off of Peter's body.

 

"I'm sorry buddy," he whispered, tracing a thumb around Peter's temple. 

 

"It's not your fault," Peter mumbled back. 

 

"I think I found a way to get your memories back, kiddo. Would you like that?" he asked gently, lightly flicking away a stray tear away from Peter's face. Peter's eyes snapped open and Tony could see how his pupils widened with panic.

 

"N-not a doctor, is it?" he asked nervously, a blush creeping up his cheeks. Tony frowned at him slightly and said, "I thought you didn't remember anything?" Peter shrank away from his gaze and mumbled quietly, "Um, I don't. Not really. I just- it's flashes. I'm sorry."

 

Tony felt a rush of shame and said, "Hey, no it's not your fault. I was just wondering. But, no it's not a doctor. She's a friend. She can fix this, buddy." Peter glanced up at him and said, "Yeah?" 

 

Tony smiled down at him and said, "Yeah, kiddie."

 

"I think... that would be alright."

 

"Me, too. You want to go right now?"

 

"Better late than never I suppose," Peter said quietly, moving to get off of the bed. Tony caught Peter's wrist and said, "I love you, you know. More than anything." Peter smiled softly, the fear disappearing from his eyes. 

 

"I know. I love you too. Those things I'm sure of."

 

And together, Peter and Tony stood up, Tony wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulders as they made their way to Wanda.

 

**

 

"Hi, Peter," Wanda smiled warmly at her friend, ignoring the way Peter looked down shyly and murmuring a soft hello back to her.

 

"So, I think I can help you. I need you to be still, okay? I don't want to hurt you."

 

Peter scooted closer to Tony and Tony could sense his rising panic. He squeezed Peter's shoulder gently before saying, "It's alright Peter. She's a friend, remember?"

 

"Right. Yeah. Okay."

 

Wanda tilted her head towards Tony and the older man nodded at her. Peter saw the way a breath escaped shakily and stared in fascination as the red energy started snaking around Wanda's fingers.

 

When it reached Peter, he fell forward, and Tony caught him and gently moved his body so that it leaned against his comfortably. He glanced at Wanda, her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as she tried to bring Peter's memories back. She let out a small wince before falling backward as a huge burst of energy escaped her and entered Peter.

 

Peter's eyes snapped open and he lunged forward, eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream. 

 

"Peter!" Tony yelled, reaching out to catch Peter before he could fall. Peter breathed heavily before flinging himself into Tony's arms, a few tears escaping. Tony ran a hand down Peter's back and looked at Wanda with concern. She was breathing heavily and pulled herself up with Steve's help. She moved over to where Tony and Peter were, her hand reaching out to gently touch Peter's back. Peter turned his face away from Tony's chest to look at Wanda. 

 

"Peter?" She asked hesitantly. Peter nodded and said croakily, "Yeah. Yeah, um, I remember. Thank you."

 

Tony let out a breath of relief and held onto Peter tighter, and Peter responded by tucking his face into the crook of Tony's neck and Tony could feel a single tear jerk its way down his spine.

 

**

 

"You okay?"

 

"Yeah. Yeah, i-it's just a lot."

 

"Come here, buddy," Tony said, reaching out for Peter as he spoke. Peter gladly fell into his embrace, and they just stood there, listening to each other breathe as the weight of memories threatened to take them both under.

 

**

 

Peter was always around Tony. Always making sure that his father was alright. If he was with him all the time, Tony couldn't be taken from him. He couldn't leave him alone and he wouldn't be tortured because of him.

 

Tony was always around Peter. He felt a rush of panic whenever Peter wasn't stuck with him by his side, when he couldn't plainly see the rise and fall of Peter's chest. 

 

More often than not, the memories would be too much, and Tony would find comfort in Peter, and Peter would find comfort in Tony. The two were inseparable. They spent every waking moment together. 

 

Somewhere in the back of their minds, it registered that their dependence on each other wasn't normal. But they turned a shoulder on it, they both thought a silent but somehow deafening  _'Fuck you'_ when they felt the invisible force that was the scrutiny of others try and force them apart.

 

**

 

Sometimes it was too much. Peter could feel the needles and the scalpels stabbing into him once again and Tony could feel his growing panic when he thought Peter was being taken away from him once again.

 

On those days, the two did nothing but lay down in Tony's bed watching cartoon reruns and just taking comfort in each other's presence.

 

**

 

Peter missed May. This, he felt every day.

"I miss her so much."

 

"I know buddy. I miss her too."

 

"Does it ever stop?"

 

"Maybe. But for now, you have me."

 

"I... I think that's good enough right now. As long as you're here too."

 

"I love you, Peter."

 

"I love you too, Dad."

 

**

 

Peter and Tony depended on each other like someone needed oxygen to breathe. They were vital to each other's wellbeing. They weren't whole without each other. 

 

Maybe that wasn't the healthiest thing.

 

But Tony was content with being clingy as hell, and Peter was content with being clingy as hell.

 

So they healed together, not giving the slightest damn about the judgment about others because one thing Peter Parker and Tony Stark knew, the one thing they would never forget, is how much they loved each other. 

 

And for them, that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo...  
> that's the end.  
> I realize that it's a really bad ending, but I feel like I can't provide good enough content for you guys anymore. So I ended it here, with this, which I think is the most suitable place to end this fic. Thank you, everyone, who read it, left kudos on it and left comments on it. It was a wild ride. Thank you for sticking with me:)  
> Also, I know the spacing is all kinds of weird but I typed this on Google Docs, and for some reason, it ended up like this, but I'm hella lazy and not gonna change it lol.


End file.
